SPONTANEOUS   EFFORTS   WITH    COLORS,  1894   TO   1898. 


*>"'      OF  THE       •'fr 

UNIVERSITY 


A    STUDY    OF   A    CHILD 


BY 


Z)   LOUISE    E.   HOGAN     { I 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  OVER  500  ORIGINAL  DRAWINGS 
BY  THE  CHILD 


NEW  YORK  AND   LONDON 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 

1898 


vn 


Copyright,  1898,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS. 

All  rig/it*  retcrved. 


THE  interest  awakened  in  America  and  Europe  by 
the  child-study  movement,  the  fascination  that  lies  in 
the  sayings  and  the  doings  of  children,  and  especially 
the  expressed  desire  of  psychologists,  physicians,  and 
teachers  for  opportunity  to  study  individual  child 
records,  both  normal  and  abnormal,  have  led  to  the 
preparation  of  this  book,  with  the  hope  of  entertain- 
ing the  general  reader  and  of  stimulating  interest  in 
practical  methods  for  mental,  moral,  and  physical  de- 
velopment of  the  child  in  the  nursery. 

Professor  Ladd,  of  Yale,  says  in  a  recent  work  (Out- 
lines of  Descriptive  Psychology),  that  of  six  sources 
of  psychology,  one  is  "  observation  of  the  mental 
processes  of  infants  and  children.  ...  as  necessary 
to  a  better  analysis  of  the  mature  mental  processes 
of  man  and  to  the  detection  of  hitherto  concealed 
factors  within  them."  Such  understanding,  he  says, 
is  indispensable  to  the  understanding  of  human  men- 
tal life  as  being,  what  it  undoubtedly  is,  a  develop- 
ment. 

Dr.  Arnold,  of  Rugby,  whose  stand  for  the  principles  of 
humanity  in  education  is  known  throughout  the  world, 
declared  boyhood  to  be  an  inferior  state,  a  dangerous 

iii 


PREFACE 

time,  when  temptation  is  great  and  resistance  exceed- 
ingly small ;  and  be  said  that  the  change  from  boyhood 
to  manhood  should  be  hastened,  for  the  growth  of  his 
character  and  for  the  development  of  the  love  of  un- 
selfishness and  fear  of  God.  More  in  keeping,  how- 
ever, with  accepted  educational  theories  of  to-day,  John 
Corbin  says,  in  this  connection,  in  his  study  of  School- 
boy Life  in  England  that  since  Arnold's  day  many 
experiments  have  been  made  in  bringing  up  boys,  and 
many  thoughtful  men  have  written  on  the  subject,  and 
in  consequence  we  are  more  likely  to  respect  the  state 
of  boyhood  and  sympathize  with  it,  to  regard  it  as 
necessary  and  beautiful  rather  than  dangerous,  and  to 
believe  that  the  more  fully  a  boy  learns  to  be  a  boy, 
the  more  thoroughly  he  will  be  a  man  when  the  time 
comes.  He  adds,  forcibly :  "  In  its  way,  boyhood  is  as 
little  to  be  avoided  as  old  age.  Both  were  ordained  by 
the  Power  that  no  one  has  ever  understood  ;  they  are 
equally  necessary  for  the  fulness  of  life,  and  *  equally 
beautiful." 

The  history  of  the  child  Harold  is  given  exactly  as 
it  was  originally  written,  with  but  few  additional  ex- 
planatory remarks  concerning  the  course  taken  to  pro- 
duce the  results  recorded.  This  plan  has  been  followed 
as  most  likely  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  general 
reader  whose  aid  in  furnishing  child-diaries  is  asked 
for  by  scientists ;  yet  the  record,  though  unclassified, 
will  be  of  no  less  value  to  the  student.  As  the  re- 
sults are  obvious,  the  reader  may  draw  his  own  con- 
clusions. 

A  portion  of  the  record  and  the  introductory  chapter 
were  sent  to  Dr.  Preyer,  and  annotations  to  the  manu- 
script, which  are  duly  noted,  were  received  in  reply, 

iv 


PREFACE 

with  several  letters  of  singular  charm,  in  one  of  which 
he  says  : 

"  Since  fifteen  years,  when  the  first  German  edition  of 
my  book  on  The  Mind  of  the  Infant  was  published,  I 
have  wished  that  a  lady,  after  having  studied  the  work 
done,  would  let  a  child  develop  itself  naturally  and 
without  continually  interfering  with  mother  -  nature. 
I  actually  brought  my  boy  up  in  this  way,  and  he  is 
always  happy.  The  boy  you  have  observed  seems  to 
have  been  educated  in  a  similar  way.  I  feel  nearly  sure 
we  are  sailing  carefully,  but  with  energy,  in  exactly  the 
same  direction.  I  think  the  wish  I  mentioned  will  soon 
be  fulfilled  by  you  to  my  heart's  content.  Mind  you  do 
not  go  too  deep  into  psychology — controversies  would 
spoil  the  effect  of  your  observations,  which  in  many  cases 
may  serve  as  a  practical  guide,  without  any  commentary. 
When  some  years  ago  I  was  often  asked  to  write  a  popu- 
lar nursery  psychology  with  my  pedagogical  rules,  I 
always  answered  that  such  a  manual  must  be  written 
by  a  mother  who  has  not  intrusted  her  baby  to  nurses, 
but  brought  it  up  and  thoroughly  studied  it  lov- 
ingly herself,  and  I  added  that  I  would  help  any  lady 
who  would  undertake  the  lengthy  but  very  pleasant 
work." 

The  recent  and  much  lamented  death  of  Dr.  Preyer 
adds  special  significance  to  these  words,  which  illus- 
trate so  clearly  the  comprehensive  character  of  the 
work  to  which  his  life  was  given. 

While  the  gradual  development  of  an  infant  during 
its  first  year  may  be  of  great  interest  to  both  scientist 
and  mother,  the  quaint  and  fanciful  tangents  of  a  child's 
self  -  activity  during  the  years  following  closely  upon 
infancy  are  the  most  absorbing  to  the  general  reader, 


PREFACE 

and  for  this  reason  the  following  selections  have  been 
made  as  illustrative  of  various  stages  of  unconscious 
growth,  and  as  not  altogether  of  simply  scientific 
interest. 

LOUISE  E.  HOG  AN. 
NEW  YORK,  June, 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION 

PAGE 

Reasons  for  Child-Study  in  the  Home 1 

CHAPTER  I 
Fragmentary  First- Year  Notes : 15 

CHAPTER  II 

Second  Year — Covering  Development,  of  Language,  and,  Inci- 
dentally, the  Cultivation  of  Obedience  and  Trust 22 

CHAPTER  III 

Third  Year — Language  and  Other  Incidental  Development  Con- 
tinued   76 

CHAPTER  IV 

Fourth  Year — Record  of  Spontaneous  Development  After  the 
Child  was  Three  Years  Old,  with  Selections  of  Drawings  and 
Cuttings,  all  Mental  Pictures,  Done  as  a  Result  of  Self- 
Activity,  and  Accompanied  by  the  Child's  Explanations 140 

CHAPTER  V 

Fifth  Year  —  Record  Continued  —  Nature  Stories  —  Training 
Butterflies  and  White  Mice  —  The  Child's  First  Effort  at 

Relating  a  Story 149 

vii 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  VI 

PAGE 

Sixth  Year  —  Number-Work— Composition— Fancy — The  Story 
of  Kitty — The  Adventures  of  a  Lady-Bug 167 

CHAPTER  VII 

Seventh  Year — Learning  German,  Writing,  and  Spelling  through 
Play — A  Bedtime  Question  Talk— Comparison  Questions  and 
Answers — The  Child's  Song  to  His  Colors — Two  Stories  Told 
by  the  Child 181 

CHAPTER  VIII 

Eighth  Year— Efforts  at  Arithmetic— "A  Story  all  Upsidedown" 
and  "A  Wonderful  Dream"  Told  by  the  Child  — Memory- 
Work —  Conception  of  Fractions — Development  in  Drawing 
and  Designing 215 


ILLFSTKATIONS 


SPONTANEOUS  EFFORTS   WITH   COLORS,  1894   TO   1898.      .  Frontispiece 

NO  DATE  DRAWINGS Faxing  p.  94 

NO  DATE  DRAWINGS 108 

NO   DATE   DRAWINGS 120 

1892  AND  1893   DRAWINGS  AND  CUTTINGS— THE  CHILD'S 

EARLIEST   EFFORTS 132 

1893  DRAWINGS — THREE   YEARS   OLD 134 

1893  AND  1894  DRAWINGS 136 

1894  CUTTINGS "  138 

1893  DRAWINGS— ENGINES "  140 

1893  DRAWINGS — BOATS,  TROLLEYS,  ETC "  142 

1893   DRAWINGS— ENGINES — THREE   YEARS   OLD       ...  "  144 

1893   DRAWINGS— THREE   YEARS  OLD "  144 

1893   DRAWINGS "  146 

1893  DRAWINGS — THREE   YEARS  OLD "  148 

1894  CUTTINGS    AND    1893    AND    1894    PRINTED    LETTER 

WORK "  150 

1894  CUTTINGS — FOUR  YEARS  OLD "  150 

1894  CUTTINGS  OF  ENGINES "  152 

1894  ENGINE  AND  CAR  CUTTINGS— FOUR  YEARS  OLD    .  "  152 

1894  DRAWINGS — FOUR  YEARS  OLD "  154 

1894  DRAWINGS — FOUR  YEARS  OLD "  154 

1894  DRAWINGS "  156 

1894  DRAWINGS — FOUR  YEARS  OLD "  156 

1894  DRAWINGS — FOUR  YEARS  OLD "  158 

1894  DRAWINGS — FOUR  YEARS  OLD "  158 

DINNER  FOR  TWO "  160 

THE  BUTTERFLY'S  BATH "  162 


x  ILLUSTRATIONS 

THE  BUTTEKPLY  ON  THE  CURTAIN Facing  p.    164 

1895  AND  1896  DRAWINGS "  166 

1895  DRAWINGS "  168 

1895  ENGINE  DRAWINGS— FIVE  YEARS  OLD        ....  "  170 

1895   DRAWINGS — FIVE  YEARS  OLD "  172 

1895    DRAWINGS— FIVE  YEARS  OLD "  172 

1895   DRAWINGS — FIVE  YEARS  OLD "  174 

1895  DRAWINGS— FIVE  YEARS   OLD "  174 

1895  BOAT  DRAWINGS — FIVE  YEARS  OLD "  176 

1895  DRAWINGS— FIVE  YEARS  OLD "  176 

1895  DRAWINGS— FIVE  YEARS  OLD "  178 

1895  CUTTINGS — FIVE  YEARS  OLD .      .  "  180 

1896  DRAWINGS "  182 

1896   DRAWINGS — SIX   YEARS  OLD "  184 

1896  DRAWINGS — SIX  YEARS  OLD "  186 

1896  DRAWINGS — SIX   YEARS  OLD "  188 

1896  DRAWINGS "  190 

GRADED     EFFORT     AT      WRITING  —  COMPOSITION     AND 

EARLY  EFFORTS   AT  NUMBERS "  192 

1896  DRAWINGS — SIX  YEARS   OLD "  196 

1896   CUTTINGS  AND  DRAWINGS— SIX  YEARS   OLD  ...  "  200 

1896  CUTTINGS— SIX  YEARS  OLD "  204 

EARLY   CUTTINGS  AND  WRITINGS "  208 

1896  CUTTINGS  AND  DRAWINGS "  212 

A  LESSON  IN  ADDITION Page  215 

A  LESSON  AND  ITS  RESULT  :    EARLY  ATTEMPTS  AT  SUB- 
TRACTION,   DIVISION,   AND   MULTIPLICATION   ...  "  2*6 

1897  DRAWINGS — SEVEN  YEARS  OLD Facing  p.   216 

1897  DRAWINGS — SEVEN  YEARS  OLD "  216 

1897  DRAWINGS "  218 

1897  DRAWINGS — SEVEN  YEARS  OLD "  218 

1897  AND  1898  DRAWINGS  .  "218 


A  STUDY    OF   A    CHILD 


A   STUDY  OF   A   CHILD 


INTRODUCTION 

» 

REASONS  FOR  CHILD- STUDY  IN  THE  HOME 

PKOFESSOE  COMPAYEE  says :  "  If  childhood  is  the  cradle 
of  humanity,  the  study  of  childhood  is  the  natural  and 
necessary  introduction  to  all  future  psychology." 

Lowell  says :  "  We  were  designed  in  the  cradle,  per- 
haps earlier,  and  it  is  in  finding  out  this  design  and 
shaping  ourselves  to  it  that  our  years  are  spent  wisely. 
It  is  the  vain  endeavor  to  make  ourselves  what  we  are 
not  that  has  strewn  history  with  so  many  broken  pur- 
poses and  lives  left  in  the  rough." 

Dr.  Harris,  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education, 
says  parents  and  teachers  are  directly  concerned  with 
the  aggregation  of  facts  of  value  gathered  by  child- 
students,  and  from  which  is  being  evolved  a  new  edu- 
cation, which  deals  in  explanations  which  are  the  key- 
note to  infant  development. 

Perez  says,  in  The  First  Three  Years  of  Childhood: 
"  The  business  of  psychological  educators  is  much  more 
concerned  with  the  habits  that  children  may  acquire,  and 
with  their  wills,  which  are  also  developed  by  habitual 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

practice,  than  with  the  development  of  their  moral 
conscience.  The  latter  is  the  blossom  which  will  be 
followed  by  fruit,  but  the  former  are  the  roots  and 
branches." 

Professor  Sully  says  in  his  introduction  to  this  work 
that  the  cardinal  principle  of  modern  educational  the- 
ory is  that  systematic  training  should  watch  the  spon- 
taneous movements  of  the  child's  mind  and  adapt  its 
processes  to  these.  It  is  in  the  first  three  or  four  years 
of  life  that  we  have  the  key  to  the  emotional  and  moral 
nature  of  the  young.  He  says,  "  if  the  study  be  deferred 
to  school-life,  it  will  never  be  full  or  exact.  The  arti- 
ficial character  of  even  the  brightest  school  surroundings 
offers  too  serious  an  obstacle  to  the  free  play  of  childish 
likings."  He  says,  further,  that  nothing,  perhaps,  has 
been  more  misunderstood  than  childhood ;  that  few 
have  the  disposition  to  seriously  endeavor  to  think 
themselves  into  the  situation  and  circumstances  of  the 
child,  casting  aside  their  own  adult  habits  of  mind  and 
trying  to  become  themselves  for  the  moment  as  little 
children,  and  that  the  man  to  whom  children  will  reveal 
themselves  is  not  he  who  is  wont  to  look  on  them  as  a 
nuisance  or  a  bore,  but  he  who  finds  them  an  amuse- 
ment and  a  delight,  who  likes  nothing  better  than  to 
cast  aside  now  and  again  the  heavy  armor  of  serious 
business  and  indulge  in  a  good  childish  romp.  He  sug- 
gests the  father  as  an  observer,  because  his  masculine 
intelligence  will  be  less  exposed  to  the  risk  of  taking  too 
sentimental  and  eulogistic  a  view  of  the  baby  mind ;  but 
he  says  the  father  cannot,  however,  hope  to  accomplish 
the  task  alone.  His  restricted  leisure  compels  him  to 
call  in  the  mother  as  collaborates,  and  "  the  mother's 
enthusiasm  and  patient,  brooding  watchfulness  are  need- 


CHILD-STUDY    IN    THE    HOME 

ed  quite  as  much  as  the  father's  keen,  analytic  vision. 
The  mother  should  note  under  the  guidance  of  the 
father,  he  taking  due  care  to  test  and  verify.  In  this 
way  we  may  look  for  something  like  a  complete  record 
of  infant  life." 

In  his  recent  work,  Studies  of  Childhood,  he  says 
that  the  greatest  desideratum  to-day  for  practical  re- 
sults in  child-study  is  the  study  of  individual  children 
as  they  may  be  approached  in  the  nursery;  that  en- 
vironment, heredity,  and  methods  of  education  should 
all  be  noted  in  relation  to  the  child  in  question  if  the 
record  is  to  be  of  the  greatest  value.  In  view  of  the 
fact  that  children  as  well  as  their  environments  differ 
very  widely,  he  says  we  need  to  know  much  more 
about  these  variations ;  that  there  is  no  substitute  for 
the  careful,  methodical,  study  of  the  individual  child, 
and  that  the  co-operation  of  the  mother  is  indispensable, 
as  the  knowledge  of  others  never  equals  that  of  the 
mother.  He  predicts  that  women  will  become  valuable 
laborers  in  this  new  field  of  investigation  if  they  will 
only  acquire  a  genuine  scientific  interest  in  babyhood 
and  a  fair  amount  of  scientific  training.  He  indicates 
the  necessity  of  careful  training  in  observation,  because 
a  child  is  very  quick  to  see  whether  he  is  being  ob- 
served, and  as  soon  as  he  suspects  that  you  are  specially 
interested  in  his  talk  he  is  apt  to  try  to  produce  an 
effect.  This  wish  to  say  something  startling  or  won- 
derful will,  it  is  obvious,  detract  from  the  value  of  the 
utterance. 

Stanley  Hall  also  points  out  that  child-study  is  espe- 
cially the  woman's  province  of  work,  that  all  teaching, 
especially  of  the  very  young,  must  always  be  a  work  of 
love  to  be  really  effective,  and  that  child-study  should 

3 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

be  so  directed  as  to  instruct  concerning  child-nature  and 
awaken,  child-love.  He  also  says  the  love  of  childhood 
and  youth  has  always  been  one  of  the  strongest  in- 
centives to  high  thoughts  and  noble  deeds,  and,  quite 
apart  from  its  results,  the  study  of  children  is  good  in 
itself,  enriches  parenthood,  and  brings  the  adult  and  the 
child  nearer  together. 

To  sum  up  authorities,  the  late  Dr.  Preyer,  whose 
work  in  child-study  is  known  all  over  the  world,  says,  in 
Infant  Mind :  "  But,  after  all,  the  observation  in  mental 
development  in  the  earliest  years  naturally  falls  to  the 
mother  more  than  to  any  other  person ;  that  other  per- 
sons also,  teachers,  both  male  and  female,  fathers,  older 
brothers  and  sisters,  are  to  be  induced  to  consider  the 
importance  of  the  facts  in  this  field,  which  has,  indeed, 
been  lying  open  for  hundreds  of  years,  but  has  been 
little  trodden,  and  is  therefore  a  new  field." 

He  continues :  "  Although  the  little  child  shows  him- 
self to  the  observer  always  without  the  least  dissimula- 
tion, still  there  is  great  danger  with  the  anthropomor- 
phic tendency  of  most  people  in  their  way  of  looking  at 
things,  that  more  will  be  attributed  to  the  child  than 
actually  belongs  to  him."  He  says,  "  new  comprehen- 
sive diaries  concerning  the  actions  of  children  are 
urgently  to  be  desired,  and  they  should  contain  noth- 
ing but  well-established  facts,  no  hypotheses,  and  no 
repetition  of  the  statements  of  others." 

Following  such  suggestions  as  these,  I  began  seven 
years  ago  to  observe  systematically  a  healthy,  happy, 
and  intelligent  child,  endeavoring  to  keep  constantly  in 
view  the  fact  that  he  was  but  one  of  many,  and  taking 
no  liberty  of  expression  whatever  beyond  recording  facts. 
The  record  was  taken  at  intervals  under  exceptionally 

4 


CHILD-STUDY    IN    THE    HOME 

favorable  circumstances,  for  he  was  trained  under  what 
might  be  called  the  Pestalozzian  principle  of  letting  alone, 
with  unconscious  supervision  in  a  carefully  guarded  en- 
vironment which  supplied  a  great  number  of  centres  of 
interest  that  were  full  of  indirect  suggestion.  Preyer 
says  in  one  of  his  works :  "  The  more  numerous  the  sounds 
of  interest  imitated,  the  quicker  the  child  will  learn  to 
talk ;"  he  noted  later,  however,  in  one  of  the  letters,  be- 
fore mentioned,  "  but  their  then  mental  development 
may  thus  be  disturbed."  It  was  for  fear  of  such  disturb- 
ance that  no  formal  teaching  of  any  kind  was  allowed 
until  the  end  of  the  sixth  year,  but  all  questions  were 
carefully  answered,  and  effort  was  made  to  see  that  the 
answers  were  clearly  understood.  Servants  were  in- 
structed to  refer  the  child  to  his  parents  for  answers  to 
all  questions  they  did  not  themselves  comprehend,  and 
sufficient  supervision  was  given  to  see  that  these  direc- 
tions were  followed.  All  baby-talk  was  forbidden,  and 
great  care  was  taken  to  enunciate  distinctly.  Surround- 
ings were  carefully  planned  to  meet  growing  needs  from 
the  moment  he  began  to  notice  things.  The  record  is 
therefore  one  of  spontaneous  development  of  self-activ- 
ity produced  as  a  result :  (1)  of  suggestion,  based  upon  a 
carefully  considered  environment ;  (2)  of  accurate  and 
sympathetic  explanation,  given  only  when  asked  for ;  and 
(3)  of  carefully  graded  steps  that  were  taken  one  at  a 
time.  (Dr.  Preyer's  annotation  here  was  "  Quite  true.") 
Edward  Gardiner  Howe  says :  "Kestraint  upon  the  part 
of  the  parent  or  teacher  is  a  necessity  to  prevent  giving 
more  information  than  can  be  absorbed."  He  also 
says :  "  There  is  no  subject  so  profound  but  its  central 
truth  can  be  taught  to  very  small  children,  and  a  child 
can  be  led  to  any  height  if  the  steps  are  made  short 

5 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

enough."     (Dr.  Preyer  here  added,  "  This  is  not  the 
case.") 

The  results  recorded  illustrate,  however,  very  clearly 
the  practicability  of  Froebel's  theory  of  inducing  and 
guiding  in  the  nursery  a  self-activity  which  eventually 
will  develop  power,  cultivate  observation  and  memory, 
produce  accuracy,  teach  a  child  to  think — in  short,  de- 
velop every  faculty  a  child  may  possess,  and  enable  it  to 
educate  itself  easily  by  giving  it  a  technic,  so  to  speak, 
and  a  desire  for  study  which  will  continue  through  a 
lifetime  if  it  is  not  dulled  by  routine  method  during 
the  period  following  nursery  life,  after  which  time  only 
must  instruction  become  formal.  This  method  of  train- 
ing also  affords  the  parent  an  opportunity  of  discovering 
inherent  weaknesses  and  removing  them  by  encouraging 
and  sympathetic  influences;  for,  as  Mrs.  Felix  Adler 
sympathetically  says :  "  In  the  case  of  children,  they  are 
sure  to  distress  and  discourage  us,  but  we  must  not  make 
the  mistake  of  overlooking  the  light  parts  that  balance 
the  dark  shadows.  We  must  expect  to  find  inconsisten- 
cies, curious  incongruities,  paradoxes  in  the  character. 
If  we  study  both  good  and  evil  traits,  the  good  ones  will 
enable  us  to  eradicate  the  evil  ones."  It  is  a  well-estab- 
lished fact  that  a  child  learns  through  playing  and  by 
having  opportunity  to  let  nature  assert  itself  spontane- 
ously and  without  restraint,  under  watchful  supervision 
— of  which,  however,  it  must  be  unconscious — yet  how 
commonly  we  see  nurses,  and  even  parents,  endeavoring 
to  attract  the  attention  of  an  infant,  perhaps  with  the 
|  idea  of  amusing,  when  most  probably  its  only  require- 
;  ment  at  the  time  is  to  be  let  alone  to  do  what  pleases  it. 
\  (Dr.  Preyer  here  added  "  Yes,"  and  underscored  the 
\  phrase).  Instead  of  being  quietly  placed  where  the  child 

6 


CHILD. STUDY    IN    THE    HOME 

may  reach  it,  a  ball  will  be  shaken  to  and  fro,  or  up  and 
down  so  rapidly  that  the  babe's  eyes  are  unable  to  fol- 
low it ;  hands  will  be  clapped  so  loud  that  the  child  be- 
comes frightened  5  the  nurse  will  keep  up  an  eternal 
jogging  on  the  knee  of  the  body  of  the  child,  with  some 
curious  notion  of  the  necessity  for  constant  movement 
as  a  pacifier.  Some  persons  go  so  far  even  as  to  toss 
baby  up  and  down  as  if  he  were  a  ball,  while  the  poor 
little  atom  of  humanity  wants  only  to  be  let  alone  to 
find  out  for  himself  what  all  the  curious  things  mean 
with  which  he  finds  himself  surrounded.  If  the  persons 
whose  business  it  is  to  take  care  of  infants  would,  instead 
of  amusing  themselves  at  the  expense  of  the  child's 
nerves,  practise  sufficient  self-restraint  to  watch  the 
efforts  of  a  four-months' -old  child  when  it  is  trying  to 
touch  a  ball  or  any  object  within  its  reach  and  line  of 
vision,  as  the  one  observed  did  when  three  and  one-half 
months'  old,  the  immense  possibility  would  be  evident  at 
once  of  training  a  child  to  self-entertainment  by  simply 
letting  him  alone  to  find  out  about  things  and  do  for 
himself.  (Dr.  Preyer  wrote  in  this  connection  :  "  Yes, 
this  is  quite  true.  Need  not  be  verified.  Even  the 
shaking  ot  the  cradle,  of  the  baby  in  the  nurse's  arms,  I 
strictly  forbid,  on  account  of  the  disturbance  of  the 
blood  circulation  of  the  brain.")  A  study  of  the  record 
of  the  child  observed  should  be  sufficient  to  convince 
the  most  incredulous  mother  of  the  fact  that  she  may 
save  herself  much  care  and  worry  and  do  much  better 
for  her  child  by  shaping  with  a  compelling  hand  the  en- 
vironment of  her  nursery  from  the  very  beginning  of  its 
life,  for  it  is  at  this  time  that  a  correct  habit  of  body 
may  be  laid  with  very  little  effort,  and  it  is  also  the 
time  when  many  a  child's  life  develops  an  impulse  in 

7 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

the  opposite  direction  difficult  to  overcome  in  later 
years. 

If  during  the  first  six  months  a  regular  regime  has 
been  established  in  regard  to  hours  of  feeding,  sleep, 
bathing,  and  letting  alone,  the  mother  will,  by  this  time, 
have  leisure  to  consider  the  needs  of  the  awakening 
mind.  Regularity  in  nursery  routine,  with  its  result 
showing  in  the  serenity  of  the  child,  will  give  opportu- 
nity for  study  as  to  how  best  to  meet  the  new  require- 
ments, and  also  to  take  records  of  daily  development  for 
reference  as  to  future  guidance  and  study.  Compayre 
says  the  better  the  child's  health  and  the  better  he  is 
fed,  the  more  activity  he  has  to  dispense  and  the  more 
active  will  be  his  motor  faculty ;  and  inasmuch  as 
physical  care  favors  intellectual  growth  from  the  very 
first,  that  mothers  shall  provide  intelligently  for  physical 
needs  and  beware  of  restraining  this  motor  faculty,  if  it 
is  not  too  great.  Nervous  children  must  be  restrained, 
Preyer  added.  This  restraint,  however,  must  be  wisely 
exercised,  or  not  at  all. 

Children  are  proverbially  good  when  they  are  busy, 
but  constant  diversion  is  necessary  to  keep  them  so, 
because  the  child-mind  is  not  capable  of  fixed  attention 
for  more  than  a  few  minutes  at  a  time.  Herein  lies  the 
value  of  the  principle  of  suggestion  in  environment.  It 
is  possible  and  very  easy  for  a  mother  who  has  any  com- 
prehension of  Froebel's  inner  meaning  to  prepare  each 
day  in  a  very  few  minutes,  after  her  child  has  gone  to 
sleep,  a  suggestive  environment  that  will  relieve  her 
almost  entirely  during  the  following  hours  of  any  care 
beyond  the  physical,  and  even  this  may,  if  necessary, 
under  proper  direction  and  supervision,  be  delegated  to 
a  faithful  servant.  It  is  in  the  constant  supervision 

8 


CHILD-STUDY    IN    THE    HOME 

with  wise  and  gentle  guidance  that  the  necessary  work 
for  the  mother  lies,  not  in  the  actual  labor  involved, 
which  may  be  regulated  according  to  circumstances. 

The  usual  attitude  of  the  parent  not  versed  in  child- 
study  is  sceptical  and  antagonistic  to  reform.  A  very 
frequent  excuse  offered  by  such  a  parent  for  the  careless 
training  of  children,  and  the  consequent  arrest  of  their 
physical,  mental,  and  moral  development,  is  that  there 
are  too  many  other  duties  pressing  upon  them  to  al- 
low of  sufficient  attention  to  these  things.  I  have  fre- 
quently heard  mothers  and  teachers  say,  in  a  tone  of 
scepticism,  that  child-study  is  productive  of  no  practical 
good ;  that  children  -have  done  well  enough  heretofore, 
and  that  they  will  do  so  again.  One  of  the  greatest 
results  to  be  hoped  from  child -study  is  to  show  just 
such  parents  and  teachers  how  much  easier  it  is  to  de- 
velop good  than  evil  in  all  children,  and  that  letting 
"  well  enough "  alone  will  never  yield  the  greatest  de- 
velopment of  character,  the  true  aim  of  education.  The 
practical  application  of  child-study  must  begin  in  the  nur- 
sery and  continue  through  the  kindergarten  and  prima- 
ry school,  which  must  all  be  in  touch  one  with  the  other. 

Susan  Blow  says,  pertinently,  that  notwithstanding 
all  that  has  been  said  and  written  about  conforming  to 
the  different  stages  of  natural  development,  we  still 
make  knowledge  an  idol,  and  continue  to  fill  the 
child's  mind  with  foreign  material,  under  the  gratui- 
tous assumption  that  at  a  later  age  he  will  be  able, 
through  some  magic  transubstantiation,  to  make  it  a 
vital  part  of  his  own  thought.  But  glaring  as  are  our 
sins  of  commission,  they  pale  before  our  sins  of  omis- 
sion, for  while  we  are  forcing  upon  the  child's  mind 
knowledge  which  has  no  roots  in  his  experience,  or  call- 

9 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

ing  upon  him  to  exercise  still  dormant  powers,  we  refuse 
any  aid  to  his  spontaneous  struggle  to  do  and  learn  and 
be  that  which  his  stage  of  development  demands.  Thus 
we  kill  the  creative  activity,  the  absence  of  which  in 
later  life  we  deplore  and  endeavor  again  to  recreate. 
It  is  true  that  it  is  the  exceptional  mother  and  teacher 
to-day  who  take  up  this  question  in  any  but  a  superficial 
manner,  but  it  is  not  too  much  to  hope  that  the  day  will 
come,  and  that  very  soon,  when  the  practical  results  of 
the  science  cf  child-study  will  have  permeated  every  home 
of  intelligence,  kindergarten,  and  school,  and  when  moth- 
er, nurse,  kinder gartner,  and  primary -school  teacher  will 
work  hand  in  hand,  without  stepping  over  the  line  for- 
bidden for  normal  physical  development.  From  a  foun- 
dation like  this  should  arise  a  nation  of  people  possessing 
such  marked  individuality  and  productive  capability  as 
would  conclusively  demonstrate  the  value  of  the  work 
that  has  been  done  by  men  like  Comenius,  Pestalozzi, 
Rousseau,  Froebel,  Herbart,  Preyer,  and  Horace  Mann, 
and  is  now  being  done  by  Sully,  Harris,  Baldwin,  Stan- 
ley Hall,  and  many  others. 

A  great  impetus  has  already  been  given  by  these 
psychologists  to  those  young  parents,  kindergartners, 
and  primary-school  teachers  who  have  been  alive  to  the 
true  meaning  of  child -study;  and  Froebel's  love  for 
children  and  his  desire  for  their  happiness  is  understood 
more  clearly  to-day  than  ever  before.  Much  of  the 
physical  restraint  formerly  in  vogue  among  kinder- 
gartners and  teachers,  and  the  too  close  attention  to 
method  and  the  letter  of  his  philosophy  instead  of  the 
spirit,  have  disappeared,  and  the  freedom  of  spontaneous 
play  and  self-activity  have  taken  their  place,  to  the  mani- 
fest improvement  of  the  child. 

10 


CHILD-STUDY    IN    THE    HOME 

When  we  remember  that  Froebel  did  not  expect  his 
philosophy  to  be  thoroughly  understood  for  two  hun- 
dred years,  we  can  easily  see  how,  after  fifty  years  of 
imperfect  elucidation,  there  still  remains  a  great  work 
for  the  kindergartner,  and  a  still  greater  one  for  the 
mother  in  the  nursery,  to  produce  the  necessary  adjust- 
ment to  educational  methods  which  is  required  for  spon- 
taneous development. 

Sympathy  and  suggestion  must  go  hand  in  hand  with 
trained  method — one  is  as  necessary  as  the  other — but 
the  mother's  work  must  come  first,  for  she  has  the  first 
opportunity. 

She  can  prepare  herself  for  this  work  by  studying  the 
philosophy  of  Froebel — not  necessarily  his  methods — 
and  then,  by  putting  his  principles  into  practice,  she 
will  find  that  the  child's  development  in  the  nursery 
will  be  a  sympathetic  reflection  of  her  own,  and  will 
unconsciously  follow  her  own  plan  of  study,  which 
should  lead  directly  into  the  hands  of  the  kindergart- 
ner. It  is  evident  to  the  careful  observer  of  children 
in  kindergartens  and  the  primary  schools  that  to-day 
parents  need  direct  teaching  more  than  the  child,  to  be 
given  in  such  a  way  as  to  influence  children  in  the 
nursery  before  the  most  impressionable  period  of  their 
lives  has  been  passed.  "  This  is  very  true,"  wrote  Dr. 
Preyer,  who  lamented,  with  reason,  in  Infant  Mind, 
that  in  cultivated  families  the  children  should  be  left 
alone  so  much  with  uneducated  nurses,  maids,  ~bonnes, 
and  that  no  counterpoise,  as  a  rule,  is  supplied  by  a  close 
personal  contact  with  the  child  of  the  educated  parents ; 
that  the  fathers  have  other  claims  upon  them;  the 
mothers,  in  too  many  cases,  are  hindered  by  so-called 
"  duties  "  of  society  or  by  needless  journeys.  He  says, 

11 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

forcibly,  that  when  a  child  grows  up  from  the  beginning 
under  the  influence  of  the  suggestions  of  cultivated 
people,  he  must  of  necessity  take  with  him  into  the 
period  in  which  the  nursery  is  left  behind  forever  a 
considerably  less  number  of  naughty  ways  and  a  great 
many  more  excellences,  with  the  natural  result  of 
being  better  fitted  for  progress  than  if  undesirable 
ways  must  be  first  forgotten,  and  excellences,  such  as 
obedience,  be  bred  in  him  after  leaving  the  nursery. 
He  says  the  direction  of  attention  through  suggestion 
never  fails  when  used  systematically.  It  is  evident, 
therefore,  that  the  mother  who  will  interest  herself 
in  child -study  and  its  results  must  find,  by  following 
this  course  of  sympathetic  supervision  and  intelligent 
suggestion,  that  she  can  easily  and  unobtrusively  pre- 
pare her  child  for  satisfactory  work  in  both  kinder- 
garten and  primary  school.  The  aid  of  a  trained  kin- 
dergartner  of  inspiring  personality,  or  of  at  least  a 
refined  and  educated  nursery-maid,  may  be  secured,  if 
possible,  very  early  in  the  life  of  a  child.  One,  how- 
ever, should  be  selected  who  has  learned  the  value  of 
repose  in  handling  children,  and  who  can  subordinate 
method  as  a  means  for  the  development  of  mental  and 
moral  growth.  Undoubtedly  one  of  the  greatest  dan- 
gers to  be  found  to-day  in  the  average  kindergarten  lies 
in  the  absorption  of  method  and  the  aggressiveness  of 
the  teacher's  personality  to  the  exclusion  of  sponta- 
neity, and  the  self-effacement  necessary  upon  the  teach- 
er's part  for  the  promotion  of  unconscious  development 
in  the  child. 

"We  can  all,  no  doubt,  as  Rousseau  says,  "  sit  rever- 
ently at  the  feet  of  infancy,  watching  and  learning." 

Sully  speaks  of  Rousseau's  belief  that  the  infant  comes 


l 

OF   1 

UNIVERSITY 
CHILD-STUDY    IN    THE    HOME 

unspoiled  from  the  hands  of  its  Maker,  and  is  not  born 
morally  depraved,  to  be  made  good  by  miraculous  appli- 
ances. The  accepted  belief  of  many  psychologists  of 
to-day  is  that  every  child  comes  into  the  world  loaded 
down  with  inherited  tendencies  to  evil,  from  which  it 
will  eventually  suffer  unless  they  are  counteracted  by 
opposing  influences.  The  child  is  certainly  unformed  at 
this  period,  hence  may  be  moulded  for  good  or  evil,  and 
in  consequence  man's  methods  in  training  must  be  care- 
fully adjusted  so  as  not  to  brush  away  the  bloom  of  the 
"lovely  grace  of  childhood."  There  is  an  instinctive 
goodness  and  gladness  in  every  child  that,  in  spite  of 
evil  heredity  and  depraved  surroundings,  will  respond 
to  sympathetic  treatment.  But  to  treat  children  sympa- 
thetically in  order  that  we  may  obtain  a  clearer  insight 
into  their  mental  processes  and  know  better  how  to 
guide  them,  we  must  certainly  absorb  the  spirit  of 
Froebel,  who  begs  us  to  live  with  our  children,  not  only 
for  them,  as  so  many  do,  and  keep  them  happy. 

I  have  never  seen  a  child  who  was  not  happy  and  in- 
clined to  be  good  when  well  occupied.  The  letter  of 
Froebel's  philosophy  was  simply  meant  by  him  to  be  an 
aid  in  establishing  a  suitable  environment  to  fit  the  com- 
prehension of  the  children  in  question,  and  it  is  invalu- 
able when  properly  used  to  keep  them  happily  em- 
ployed. But  if  a  mother  happens  to  be  placed  beyond 
the  reach  of  a  kindergarten,  or  the  aid  of  a  kindergart- 
ner,  she  need  not  despair  of  attempting  the  work  unaid- 
ed, for  by  studying  Froebel's  philosophy  and  reading  his 
meaning  with  the  eyes  of  love,  she  will  clearly  see  how 
she  may  prepare  for  her  child  an  environment  of  suggest- 
ion, and  formulate  for  herself  a  method  that  will  grasp 
the  entire  meaning  of  his  play  and  occupations,  with 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

their  wonderful  results.  Then,  when  she  sends  her  child 
away  to  begin  his  life-work,  she  may  feel  that  she  has 
given  him  power  with  which  he  can  easily  handle  the 
problems  that  will  confront  him  daily,  and  that  she  has 
not  only  given  him  power,  but  has  done  it  in  a  manner 
that  has  not  hindered  his  physical  development,  the 
soundness  of  which  will  determine  largely  his  whole 
future  intellectual  and  moral  life.  Dr.  Preyer  here 
added :  "  Therefore,  the  controlling  supervision  of  the 
physical  development  in  childhood  is  the  most  important 
task  of  all  young  mothers."  Fathers  may  assist  in  such 
work  if  they  will  but  realize  the  importance  of  surround- 
ing young  mothers  with  the  serene,  happy  conditions  in 
their  daily  lives  that  will  impel  them  by  their  great  con- 
tent to  live  with  their  children,  as  Froebel  begs  them  to 
do,  and  watch  over  them  with  that  brooding  mother- 
love  which  should  be  the  natural  outcome  of  affection 
and  consideration  not  denied  them  in  their  own  relations 
of  life. 


CHAPTER  I 
FRAGMENTARY  FIRST- YEAR  NOTES 

THE  dated  record  of  the  spontaneous  development  of 
the  child  in  question  began  when  he  was  fourteen 
months  old,  and  comparatively  few  notes  were  made 
during  the  period  covering  the  first  year.  The  few 
facts  that  were  noted  may  be  of  greater  interest,  pos- 
sibly, to  psychologists  than  to  the  general  reader.  For 
instance,  the  child's  first  sign  of  early  adaptation  to 
surroundings,  of  which  Compayre  speaks,  was  possibly 
given  when  he  was  found  contentedly  sucking  his 
thumb,  after  the  fashion  of  many  other  infants,  about 
half  an  hour  after  he  was  born.  Both  nurse  and  phy- 
sician dwelt  frequently  upon  the  importance  of  the  fact 
that  when  the  child  received  his  first  bath  he  lifted  his 
head  unaided  from  .the  lap  in  which  he  was  lying,  thus 
showing  to  the  popular  mind^'an  early  inclination  to 
know  what  was  going  on  about  him,  again  following  the 
fashion  of  many  other  mortals,  and  to  the  psychologist 
great  promise  of  brain  power.  He  showed  on  the  second 
and  third  days  a  decided  disinclination  to  sleep  in  the 
nurse's  arms,  but  he  would  invariably  fall  asleep  easily 
when  removed  to  his  mother's  arms.  Eeceptiveness  to 
sympathy  may  probably  here  be  traced,  for  the  nurse 
was  unsympathetic. 

The  child  noticed  color  when  he  was  a  little  over 
three  months  old.  He  was  lying  on  a  bed,  near  a  hat 

15 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

trimmed  with  stiff  yellow  flowers.  He  put  out  his  hand 
and  touched  them.  The  rattling  noise  of  the  flowers 
must  have  pleased  him,  for  when  the  hat  was  moved  a 
little  farther  away  from  him,  he  stretched  his  body  after 
it  so  he  could  reach  and  rattle  them  again.  Dr.  Preyer 
added  an  interrogation  point  to  this  incident,  evidently 
questioning  the  date,  for  it  was  at  that  part  of  the  manu- 
script that  he  pointed  his  question.  When  I  wrote  to 
him  the  last  time  I  explained  how  I  knew  the  date  to  be 
a  fact,  but  his  death  intervened  before  I  could  receive  a 
reply.  The  child  had  noticed  some  colored  balls  of  red 
and  white  a  few  days  before  the  hat  incident.  His  nurse 
hung  them  near  him,  and  he  played  with  them  while 
lying  on  a  couch  and  kicking  up  his  heels.  He  seemed 
happiest  always  when  he  was  let  alone  and  treated  like 
a  machine,  and  at  even  this  early  age  he  was  fully  able 
to  amuse  himself,  as  nearly  all  well  children  are  when  a 
wholesome  regime  has  once  been  established. 

He  objected  to  a  Raff  concerto  for  violin  and  piano, 
but  tolerated  Handel's  Largo,  although  with  a  quiver  of 
his  lip.  This  was  before  he  was  four  months  old.  The 
Raff  music  began  just  as  he  was  going  to  sleep  ;  he  cried 
bitterly  on  hearing  it,  and  he  was  taken  to  the  music- 
room  to  see  if  it  would  quiet  him  to  see  the  performers. 
He  cried  continuously,  however,  as  if  he  suffered.  Then, 
as  an  experiment,  the  Largo  was  played.  This  seemed 
to  soothe  him  somewhat,  but  his  parents  concluded  that 
the  violin  was  the  trouble  and  laid  it  aside.  (It  is  inter- 
esting to  note  that  a  year  later  he  developed  a  great 
fondness  for  violin  music,  begging  for  it  whenever  op- 
portunity offered.) 

At  this  time  a  single  voice  singing  would  not  quiet 
him,  if  for  any  of  the  numerous  reasons  of  early  baby- 


FRAGMENTARY    FIRST-YEAR    NOTES 

land  he  was  not  inclined  to  sleep ;  but  two  voices,  sing- 
ing in  parts,  would  invariably  have  the  desired  soothing 
effect.  (The  record  shows,  later  on,  great  susceptibility 
to  rhythm  and  harmony.)  The  music  of  hand-organs 
always  seemed  to  attract  him,  even  before  he  was  four 
months  old.  This  he  showed,  at  this  early  date,  by 
pushing  towards  the  window  and  jumping  in  his  nurse's 
arms  whenever  the  organs  appeared.  His  eyes  followed 
his  aunt  across  the  room  at  this  same  age  (three  and  a 
half  months),  and  he  also  looked  at  himself  attentively 
in  the  glass  several  times,  leaning  over  and  putting  his 
lips  to  his  little  reflection. 

When  four  months  old  he  was  taken  to  the  shore. 
(His  first  tooth  had  appeared  before  this,  and  soon  after 
his  arrival  several  others  made  their  appearance.  He 
had  sixteen  teeth  when  he  was  a  year  old,  the  result, 
the  physician  said,  of  careful  feeding  and  attention 
to  hygiene).  During  his  shore  experience  he  was  noth- 
ing more  nor  less  than  a  little  automaton,  for  by  this 
time  he  had  become  habituated  to  his  nursery  routine, 
which  was  kept  up  undeviatingly.  This  automatic  way 
of  living  was  so  marked  that  for  a  week  a  person  in 
a  neighboring  room  did  not  know  there  was  a  baby 
near,  nor  would  she  believe  it  at  first  when  told.  This 
serenity  was  undoubtedly  caused  by  the  thoroughly 
regular  life  of  the  mother,  the  nurse,  and  the  child.  He 
frequently  took  his  morning  nap  within  hearing  of  the 
hotel  musicians,  one  of  whom  was  the  proud  possessor 
of  a  trumpet ;  even  this  could  not  conquer  the  child's 
regular  habit  of  sleep.  I  mention  this  as  being  of  prob- 
able interest  to  parents  as  well  as  to  psychologists,  al- 
though it  is  far  from  wise  to  put  a  child  to  sleep  irre- 
spective of  noise  and  light. 

B  17 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

The  child's  early  sense  of  humor,  which  is  a  marked 
characteristic  throughout  the  record,  was  shown  by  his 
manner  of  receiving  the  visits  of  a  very  jolly-looking 
physician  who  was  an  image  of  Santa  Glaus,  and  at 
whom  he  would  always  laugh  inordinately,  even  when 
he  was  only  five  months  old,  whether  he  was  ailing  or 
not.  It  grew  to  be  so  noticeable  that  once  even  the 
physician,  seeing  him  laughing,  without  knowing  the 
cause,  shook  his  linger  at  him  and  said  to  the  mother : 
u  You  must  make  that  child  stop  laughing,"  when  the 
child  laughed  more  than  ever,  and  the  mother  pleaded 
her  inability  to  control  what  seemed  perfectly  natural 
and  spontaneous. 

In  the  same  spontaneous  way  he  reached  out  his  arms 
for  the  first  colored  servant  he  ever  saw  (a  chambermaid 
with  a  fresh  white  cap  and  apron  on),  and  promptly 
kissed  her.  (The  record  shows  throughout  a  great  lik- 
ing for  what  he  called  "  lovely  white.")  This  won  the 
hearts  of  the  entire  hotel  staff,  for  it  was  duly  retailed 
by  the  favored  recipient,  and  after  that  both  the  child 
and  nurse  were  in  no  need  of  willing  service  at  all  hours 
and  places,  and  under  all  circumstances.  At  this  time 
the  telegraph  ticking  and  the  washing  of  the  waves  were 
his  two  absorbing  amusements  during  the  few  hours  he 
was  awake.  Sailing  had  no  terrors  for  him.  The  yacht 
captains  called  him  "  our  baby."  His  nurse  held  him 
over  the  side  of  the  boat,  where  he  would  contentedly 
watch  the  water  dash  against  it,  even  when  out  on  the 
ocean  where  the  waves  were  high.  (He  always  showed 
the  same  content  when  watching  the  splashing  of  his 
bath,  and  would  look  intently  with  much  pleasure  at  the 
water  running  swiftly  from  the  faucets.)  Once,  during 
a  passing  shower  of  rain,  he  settled  down  contentedly  in 

18 


FRAGMENTARY    FIRST-YEAR    NOTES 

the  stuffy  Httle  cabin  of  a  sail-boat,  where  he  apparently 
took  in  all  his  surroundings  very  quietly,  just  as  he  had 
done  on  the  train  when  travelling  to  the  shore,  with 
never  a  murmur  nor  a  cry,  but  always  eager  to  see  or 
do  something.  His  wants  were  usually  anticipated, 
which,  with  his  regular  life,  may  probably  have  had 
some  influence  in  promoting  this  unlooked-for  serenity. 

The  only  time  he  was  known  to  be  guilty  of  putting 
anything  in  his  mouth  after  the  fashion  of  children  who 
are  continually  doing  so  when  they  should  not,  was 
when  sailing  one  day  he  was  discovered  chewing  a  tarry 
bit  of  rope  by  a  family  friend  who  declared  the  child 
was  only  half  fed  and  was  hungry,  this  innuendo  being 
directed  at  the  mother  for  her  well-known  insistence 
upon  regularity  in  feeding  the  child.  The  rope  was 
replaced  by  something  that  seemed  equally  desirable  to 
him,  which  method  of  removal  may  also  contain  a  sug- 
gestion for  that  parent  who  believes  in  early  discipline. 

When,  after  returning  from  the  shore,  the  child  was 
taken  to  the  mountain,  he  showed  a  fancy  for  throwing 
pebbles  and  green  grapes,  which  he  picked  for  the  pur- 
pose, while  in  his  nurse's  arms ;  and  all  this  was  done, 
presumably,  from  imitation  of  some  boys  who  played 
with  him  in  this  manner. 

He  began  to  walk  very  early,  stood  up  alone  when 
nine  months  old,  and  attempted  to  sing  when  placed  on 
a  music-stool  before  the  piano.  He  sang  the  music  of 
two  lines  of  "Annie  Eooney  "  correctly,  from  imitation, 
when  nine  months  old.  His  nurse-maid  sang  this  song 
daily. 

At  this  time  he  showed  a  shrinking  sort  of  fear  when 
he  heard  a  noise  like  a  hammer  striking  something  in  the 
next  room,  and  also  when  he  heard  a  coal  fall  from  the 

19 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

grate.  During  an  unavoidable  absence  of  a  day  and  a 
night  upon  the  part  of  his  mother,  he  cried,  and  appar- 
ently missed  her.  After  her  return,  he  would  cry  when- 
ever she  approached  the  door  by  which  she  had  left 
when  she  went  away. 

One  evening,  when  he  heard  his  father  and  mother 
singing  a  duet,  he  joined  in,  in  the  most  na'ive  way, 
singing  up  and  down  to  the  very  end,  as  if  he  couldn't 
help  it.  Every  one  about  him  was  careful  not  to  laugh 
at  anything  he  did  -f  consequently  his  spontaneity  was 
deliciously  entertaining. 

He  would  at  this  time  recognize  the  voice  of  a  favorite 
servant  when  she  passed  the  door  on  the  outside,  and  he 
would  call  loudly  for  her.  He  began  to  try  to  say  a  few 
words  at  this  period,  as  related  in  the  dated  record,  and 
succeeded  in  walking  a  few  steps.  He  crept  very  little. 
He  seemed  to  give  great  attention  to  everything  he  did, 
so  no  doubt  he  soon  learned  that  he  could  do  better  than 
creep,  so  far  as  locomotion  was  concerned. 

Compayre  says  the  child's  consciousness  flashes  forth 
at  first  in  gestures,  later  in  his  babbling.  Hence  the 
particular  interest  which  the  observation  of  his  outward 
movement  offers  as  the  sincere  expression  of  his  mental 
activity.  (Compare  an  idiotic  with  a  normal  child — the 
first  quiet,  the  latter  all  motion.)  Besides,  these  motions 
which  we  can  follow  and  note  with  exactness,  however 
slight  may  be  the  attention  we  may  give  them,  are  in 
themselves  ps37chic  facts,  and  only  to  have  described 
them  would  be  psychology  in  itself.  M.  Anthomie 
speaks  of  the  power  of  penetration  that  the  mother's 
eye  acquires,  fixed  with  a  sweet  determination  upon  one 
she  loves.  The  force  of  the  tenderness  creates  between 
the  parent  and  the  child  relations  so  close,  a  moral  inti- 

20 


FRAGMENTARY    FIRST-YEAR    NOTES 

macy  so  deep,  that  the  faintest  heart-beats  of  the  child 
re-echo  in  the  ears  of  those  that  love  him.  Paternal  and 
maternal  love  carry  with  them  a  sort  of  divination. 
Compayre  says  that  the  best  psychologists  of  child- 
hood are  those  who  have  followed  carefully,  from  hour 
to  hour,  the  moral  development  of  their  own  children. 
He  says  if  the  journals  kept  by  a  mother  or  a  father,  in 
which  a  careful  hand  registers  from  day  to  day  the 
smallest  incidents  of  the  child's  existence,  are  really  the 
most  precious  sources  of  observation,  all  information, 
wherever  it  comes  from,  is  welcome.  Mme.  ISTecker  de 
Saussure  recommended  these  records  fifty  years  ago, 
saying:  "I  strongly  urge  young  mothers  to  keep  an 
accurate  record  of  the  development  of  their  children." 
Much  of  the  following  dated  record  of  the  little  life 
which  rolled  along  so  serenely  and  pleasantly  may  seem 
of  slight  value  to  the  general  reader,  who  is  simply 
charmed  with  the  fascination  of  children's  ways,  yet 
for  reasons  like  the  above  none  may  be  omitted,  for 
we  are  told  that  the  key-note  of  the  whole  psychologi- 
cal value  of  the  work  might  prove  to  be  found  in  those 
facts  that  might  be  omitted  by  one  who  does  not  know, 
yet  hopes  that  herein  is  faithfully  pictured  the  inner  life 
of  a  child. 


CHAPTER  II 

SECOND  YEAR,  COVERING  DEVELOPMENT  OF  LANGUAGE, 
AND,  INCIDENTALLY,  THE  CULTIVATION  OF  OBEDI- 
ENCE AND  TRUST 

APRIL  11, 1891. — Fourteen  months  old.  I  was  reading 
aloud  from  Punch  and  Judy,  which  is  fully  illustrated. 
When  I  came  to  the  place  where  Punch  says,  "  Oh,  my 
nose !  my  best  Sunday  nose !"  Harold  touched  his  nose, 
then  bent  over  and  touched  mine,  and,  placing  his  head 
against  my  shoulder,  he  screwed  up  his  face  in  a  grin 
and  laughed  loud  twice  in  succession.  The  book  was 
given  to  him  when  he  was  a  year  old,  and  ever  since 
receiving  it  he  has  shown  great  delight  when  he  sees  the 
picture  where  Punch  and  Judy  are  turning  their  faces 
to  each  other,  and  Judy  says,  "  Punchy,  wunchy,  dear 
old  Punchy!"  Harold  always  laughs  aloud  when  he 
-sees  this,  and  at  any  time  of  the  day  or  night  I  need 
but  say  the  words  to  make  him  laugh.  Once  I  whis- 
pered them  to  him  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  when  he 
was  restless,  and  he  laughed  loud,  was  diverted  for  the 
moment,  turned  over,  and  fell  asleep.  (The  record  shows 
to  present  date  that  he  is  keenly  alive  to  fun,  and  ad- 
vantage of  the  fact  was  often  taken  for  diverting  him 
from  what  might  otherwise  have  proved  a  source  of 
trouble.) 

April  12th. — "When  putting  away  some  of  his  blocks 
to-day  I  inadvertently  put  some  in  a  basket  with  other 

22 


SECOND    YEAR 

toys,  but  he  reached  for  the  little  wagon  in  which  they 
belonged,  intimated  that  he  wanted  them  all,  and  put 
them,  one  by  one,  in  the  basket,  sometimes,  however, 
stopping  to  build.  I  attempted  to  make  a  note  of  this 
with  a  pencil,  which  he  took  from  me,  tried  to  write 
with  it,  discovered  that  he  had  the  wrong  end  of  the 
pencil,  and  turned  it  about.  The  same  day  he  saw  a 
dog  across  the  street.  He  looked  intently  at  him  and 
said  something  that  sounded  like  "wow!  wow!"  He 
frequently  says  it  upon  seeing  a  little  boy.  He  did  it 
to-day,  his  manner  showing  distinctly  that  he  meant  it 
for  the  boy. 

One  day  this  week,  while  in  his  coach  on  the  street, 
coming  home,  he  began  to  throw  kisses  just  before 
falling  asleep.  He  often  does  this  when  going  out  or 
when  going  to  bed,  and,  according  to  Dr.  Preyer,  some 
association  with  farewell  causes  him  to  do  it. 

He  occasionally  has  an  egg  for  breakfast,  of  which  he 
is  very  fond.  They  are  served  to  him  in  cups  similar  to 
those  used  at  table.  On  Sunday  he  was  in  the  dining- 
room,  and  as  soon  as  he  saw  the  egg-cups  on  the  table 
he  cried,  apparently  for  an  egg,  and  could  with  diffi- 
culty be  diverted. 

One  morning  last  week,  when  watching  some  one 
dress,  he  brought  the  shoes  needed,  one  by  one,  from 
a  closet  near  by,  and  took  the  bath  slippers  back  in 
the  same  way.  One  day  recently  he  voluntarily  went 
to  a  couch,  under  which  stood  a  pair  of  shoes,  and  car- 
ried them  one  by  one  to  the  shoe-case,  set  them  down 
before  the  curtain,  and  then  turned  and  seated  himself 
on  the  floor  before  us,  looking  up  as  though  he  wanted 
to  be  praised. 

He  often  begs  to  be  taken  up  into  some  one's  arms  to 

23 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

watch  the  brushing  of  teeth.  This  suggested  buying  a 
brush  for  him,  which  he  gravely  puts  in  water  now  and 
brushes  his  own  teeth  daily.  This  morning,  when  watch- 
ing his  mother  brush  her  teeth,  he  picked  up  a  brush 
lying  near  him  and  took  it  to  his  father,  saying,  ques- 
tioningly,  "hab  'em?"  He  has  said  "hab  'em?"  and 
"gib  'em,"  and  "ups-a-dada"  for  over  a  month.  He 
says  the  latter  when  lifting  anything,  or  when  jumping 
up  and  down.  He  often  pretends  to  drop  something 
from  his  hand,  and  pulls  it  up  quickly,  saying  "ups-a- 
dada  !"  I  think  he  learned  this  expression  from  his 
nurse.  When  he  says  "  hab  'em  ?"  he  hands  you  some- 
thing. He  often  picks  up  something  from  the  floor — a 
thread  or  a  pin  —  and  brings  it  to  you,  saying  "hab 
'em  ?"  If  he  wants  anything  he  reaches  for  it  and  says 
"hab  'em?"  or  "gib  'em."  He  often  comes  with  his 
hand  closed,  looking  very  mischievous,  and  says  "hab 
'em  ?"  and  on  opening  it  you  find  nothing. 

About  this  time  he  learned  what  "  no,  no"  meant.  A 
cover  that  was  used  for  a  water-pail  in  the  room  next  to 
his  seemed  to  attract  him  very  much  on  account  of  a 
hole  in  its  centre,  through  which  we  would  occasionally 
find  him  poking  his  fists.  One  day  he  was  found  there 
pretending  to  wash  his  hands.  We  then  began  to  take 
him  away  from  it  and  say  "  no,  no,"  doing  it  quietly 
but  persistently.  One  day  nurse  and  I  followed  him  at 
intervals  no  less  than  twenty  times  to  do  this,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  experiment,  to  find  out  whether  he  could  learn 
what  "inevitable"  meant.  Frequently  he  seemed  to 
understand  what  we  were  trying  to  do,  for  he  would 
often  run  away  from  us  and  go  directly  there,  as  if  in  a 
spirit  of  mischief,  look  at  us  and  laugh  as  he  stood  there, 
while  at  other  times  he  would  walk  up  to  it  gravely, 


SECOND    YEAR 

stand  there,  shake  his  head,  and  say  "  No,  no."  "We 
had  the  same  experience  with  a  linen-closet,  the  lower 
shelf  of  which  had  a  little  door  which  he  could  pull  open 
very  easily,  and  the  lock  of  which  we  often  found  him 
examining  very  intently.  (The  record  shows  a  keen 
interest  in  mechanics.)  "We  would  find  him  sitting  before 
the  closet,  door  open,  and  all  the  clean  towels  scattered 
about  him.  He  seemed  to  take  a  special  delight  in  rum- 
pling them.  We  took  him  away  every  time,  saying: 
"No,  no;  they  belong  to  mamma."  He  soon  under- 
stood that  this  too  was  forbidden  ground.  From  this 
date  we  began  systematically  to  teach  him  to  consider 
the  rights  of  others,  and  to  touch  nothing  that  did  not 
belong  strictly  to  himself. 

(The  record  shows  that  this  was  carried  out  unfail- 
ingly, but  without  severity,  in  order  to  keep  the  child 
fearless,  and  results  recorded  show  complete  success  in 
the  effort.)  About  this  time  we  noticed  how  fretf ulness 
would  disappear  upon  sight  of  his  hat  and  coat,  appar- 
ently in  the  hope  of  being  taken  out. 

A  few  days  after  the  first  experience  with  "  no,  no,"  he 
ran  away  from  us  through  two  rooms,  going  directly  to 
the  water-pail,  crowing  all  the  way  as  though  he  thought 
he  would  get  there  first  before  we  could  catch  him.  He 
did  get  there,  and  laughing  as  if  he  had  done  it  for  fun, 
stood  waiting  for  nurse  to  take  him  away,  and  went 
without  a  struggle. 

One  morning  this  week  he  found  a  bunch  of  keys  at- 
tached to  a  chain.  He  seized  them  instantly,  took  them 
to  an  iron  bedstead,  and  pushed  the  bunch  between  the 
spring  and  the  frame  of  the  bed,  holding  on  to  the  chain 
and  letting  the  keys  move  up  and  down  as  he  pulled 
the  chain,  saying  "  ups-a-dada !"  taking  great  delight  evi- 

25 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

dently  in  the  clinking  of  the  keys  against  the  iron  frame. 
He  has  been  going  repeatedly  during  the  last  few  weeks 
to  a  chiff  onnier,  where  he  would  stand  looking  up  intently 
at  the  door  of  a  little  closet  in  it,  which  held  a  slender- 
necked  claret-glass,  of  which  he  is  very  fond.  He  some- 
times would  say  "  hab  'em  ?"  when  looking  at  the  door. 
We  regularly  opened  the  closet  and  gave  him  the  glass 
to  carry  for  a  while,  which  he  did  with  the  greatest  care 
and  pride.  He  would  then  return  it,  apparently  satis- 
fied, and  we  would  replace  the  glass  in  the  closet.  One 
morning  this  week  he  broke  it  accidentally,  but  for  two 
days  he  still  went  to  the  closet  each  morning  in  the 
same  way  that  he  did  before  he  broke  the  glass.  We 
opened  the  door  each  time  to  show  him  that  it  was  not 
there,  and  at  last  he  seemed  to  understand,  and  never 
went  again. 

He  has  shown  for  some  time  a  desire  to  fit  things 
together,  or  to  drop  things  into  holes.  To-day  he  was 
playing  in  one  room  with  part  of  a  broken  toy  —  a 
pointed  stick  with  a  hole  at  one  end,  through  which 
he  could  put  his  finger.  He  did  this  a  number  of 
times,  examining  it  intently  where  his  finger  came 
through  the  hole,  when  he  seemed  to  be  suddenly 
struck  with  some  idea  and  started  for  the  next  room, 
going  as  fast  as  he  could  walk.  As  we  never  interfered 
with  him  unless  we  saw  danger  ahead,  I  followed  quietly 
and  saw  him  go  directly  to  the  water-pail  before  men- 
tioned and  poke  the  piece  of  wood  up  and  down  in  the 
hole  in  the  lid  of  the  pail,  saying  "  ups-a-dada !"  He 
came  away  without  a  murmur  when  I  took  his  hand  and 
said,  "  No,  no,"  dropped  the  piece  of  wood  at  once,  and 
took  up  another  toy. 

We  gave  him  some  kitchen  things  to  play  with  to-day, 

26 


SECOND    YEAR 

as  he  seems  to  take  especial  delight  in  them,  especially 
the  contents  of  the  bottom  part  of  the  dresser — pots, 
pans,  etc.  Among  those  given  to  him  was  a  new  salt- 
box  that  looked  like  silver.  Shortly  after  we  gave  him 
the  lid,  and  although  it  was  gilt  and  the  box  silver,  he 
instantly  fitted  the  lid  where  it  belonged,  selecting  the 
box  from  several  things  on  the  table.  He  was  sitting 
upon  the  table  himself  at  the  time.  We  then  tried  him 
with  a  quart  and  a  pint  jar  of  glass,  each  having  covers 
to  fit,  which  we  gave  to  him  at  different  times.  He  fitted 
them  correctly  without  a  moment's  hesitation. 

He  has  begun  dancing  now  when  he  hears  street- 
organs,  but  only  when  there  is  a  suitable  rhythm.  If  he 
hears  the  music  at  a  distance  he  drops  his  toys,  runs  to 
the  window,  and  cries  to  be  lifted  up  to  see.  The  organ- 
grinders  know  him  so  well  that  he  has  them  here  daily. 
(When  seven  years  old  he  showed  a  marked  sense  of 
rhythm,  and  although  he  had  received  very  little  musical 
instruction,  he  then  picked  out  very  pretty  harmonies.) 
He  is  beginning  to  imitate  the  rag-and-slop  man,  giving 
a  very  fair  imitation,  as  he  runs  through  the  rooms,  gen- 
erally carrying  under  his  arm,  in  imitation  of  the  rag- 
man's bag,  a  journal  full  of  mechanical  illustrations, 
which  is  his  pet  book. 

He  comes  to  my  bed  in  the  morning  after  having  been 
dressed  by  his  nurse,  hands  me  my  shoes  and  gown,  say- 
ing "hab  ?em?"  and  then  hands  me  all  the  clothes  he 
can  find  that  he  knows  belong  to  me.  When  at  last, 
after  much  of  this  sort  of  persuasion,  I  get  up,  he  can 
hardly  wait  to  call  his  father,  which  he  does  by  going  to 
his  bedside  and  saying  "  ba  "  ;  sometimes  "  baba."  He 
has  had  a  great  fashion  lately  of  kissing  me  at  odd  mo- 
ments, often  on  each  eye  successively,  especially  when 

27 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

I  am  lying  down  face  upward.  This  evening  he  kissed 
his  father  in  the  middle  of  a  song,  while  he  was  holding 
him  in  his  arms  and  singing.  If  we  say  "  Sing,  Harold," 
he  will  hum  a  few  notes.  He  did  it  this  afternoon  when 
out  in  his  coach,  and  also  this  evening  when  his  father 
was  playing  a  song. 

April  16th. — Harold  picked  up  my  thimble  to-day  and 
brought  it  to  me,  took  up  my  hand,  and  fitted  it  on  my 
finger. 

April  18th. — Since  the  16th  inst.  he  has  himself  used 
the  bottle  of  lotion  that  was  given  by  the  physician  to 
ease  his  gums  during  teething.  He  takes  the  bottle  in 
one  hand,  puts  his  finger  on  its  mouth,  turns  it  enough 
to  wet  his  finger,  and  rubs  his  gums. 

His  coach  parasol  was  used  to-day  for  the  first  time 
since  last  summer,  and  he  showed  fear  when  placed 
under  it.  He  looked  up  at  the  cover  as  if  afraid  to  sit 
under  it,  and  cried  bitterly.  I  soothed  and  diverted  him 
until  he  reached  the  street,  when  he  seemed  to  forget  it. 
To-day  I  took  a  dime  from  him  to  put  in  his  bank,  and 
when  he  saw  it  about  to  disappear  he  cried. 

April  17th. — We  tried  to  use  an  atomizer  to-day,  but 
he  showed  fear  as  soon  as  he  saw  it,  although  he  had 
never  seen  one  before,  and  he  cried  bitterly  when  I  in- 
sisted upon  using  it  in  accordance  with  the  physician's 
directions.  He  seems  to  show  fear  of  some  things  that 
work  in  any  way  that  he  cannot  understand,  or  where 
he  cannot  find  the  motive  power. 

April  18th. — I  brought  out  the  atomizer  again,  in- 
tending to  use  it.  As  soon  as  he  saw  it  he  left  my 
knee,  where  he  was  standing,  and  walked  very  quickly 
into  the  other  room,  as  fast  and  as  far  as  he  could  go, 
and  stood  there  and  cried.  I  gave  up  all  attempt  to  use 

28 


SECOND    YEAR 

it  from  that  time  for  fear  of  making  him  nervous,  and 
because  force  was  never  used  if  it  could  be  avoided. 
When  his  teeth  seemed  to  hurt  him  I  gave  him  the  bottle 
of  the  lotion  we  used  and  told  him  to  apply  it  himself, 
which  he  did  in  what  seemed  to  me  to  be  a  very  grateful 
way.  (The  record  shows  that  when  he  was  five  years  old 
his  mother  felt  that  something  should  be  done  to  habitu- 
ate him  to  the  use  of  the  spray,  if  only  as  a  precautionary 
measure  for  probable  need  during  illness.  It  took  her 
longer  than  a  year,  making  the  effort  at  intervals  of 
probably  a  month,  to  teach  him  gently  and  without 
bribing  or  straining  his  nerves  by  using  force,  to  use 
both  atomizer  and  vaporizer.  At  seven  it  is  still  very 
evident  that  he  dislikes  them,  yet  he  uses  them  bravely, 
showing  how  a  victory  of  mind  over  matter  may  be 
brought  about  by  patience  and  gentle  treatment,  and 
also  how  moral  courage  may  incidentally  be  cultivated 
in  a  very  young  child.) 

About  a  week  ago  he  walked  to  the  wash -stand,  and 
pointed  to  the  pitcher  and  cried.  I  gave  him  some  water 
to  drink,  and  he  took  a  great  deal,  apparently  being  very 
thirsty.  "When  offering  him  his  bottle  of  milk  this 
morning,  he  shook  his  head,  said  "  No,  no,"  and  walked 
away.  He  seems  to  be  strong-willed  and  self-reliant, 
but  not  capricious,  perhaps  because  he  trusts  us. 

Last  night  he  had  two  bottles  in  his  crib.  One  con- 
tained sterilized  water  for  use  during  the  night;  the 
other  was  a  small,  empty  bottle,  with  an  unpunctured 
nipple  tied  on  securely.  We  gave  him  the  latter  to  bite 
on  during  teething.  He  was  very  fond  of  it,  was  rarely 
without  it,  and  took  it  to  bed  with  him  every  night  for 
a  long  time,  where  he  would  hold  it  tight  in  his  hand 
until  he  fell  asleep.  About  midnight  he  was  restless, 

29 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

and  I  gave  him  the  water-bottle.  He  took  a  long  drink, 
and  when  he  had  enough,  compared  the  bottles  in  the 
dim  light,  shook  the  water-bottle,  held  it  up,  and  looked 
first  at  it,  then  at  the  little  one.  At  last,  after  doing 
this  several  times,  he  lifted  up  the  little  one,  shook  it, 
looked  at  it  very  closely,  laid  away  the  water-bottle, 
turned  over,  and  fell  asleep  with  the  little  bottle  in  his 
hand. 

Quite  recently,  when  visiting  his  grandparents,  they 
had  an  amusing  experience  with  the  little  bottle.  It  was 
mislaid  during  the  excitement  of  his  arrival,  and  when 
bedtime  came  it  could  not  be  found.  He  refused  to 
sleep.  The  entire  household  took  part  in  the  search, 
and  at  last  it  was  found  under  the  bed,  given  to  him,  and 
he  soon  fell  asleep.  It  may  not  seem  wise  to  be  so  de- 
pendent upon  accidental  circumstances,  but  his  mother 
cannot  quite  make  up  her  mind  to  deprive  him  of  the 
comfort  he  takes  in  his  "  bot,"  as  he  calls  it.  (The  record 
shows  how  he  gradually  dropped  the  habit  himself  as 
other  interests  developed.) 

Since  January,  when  he  was  eleven  months  old,  he 
has  shown  fear  whenever  he  sees  a  wire  dress-form  that 
is  in  the  sewing-room,  and  all  our  efforts  to  familiarize 
him  with  it  seem  to  be  useless. 

April  16th. — He  began  to  build  with  blocks  to-day, 
placing  five  or  six  on  top  of  each  other  with  great  care 
•and  precision. 

The  words  he  has  learned  since  November,  when  he 
was  nine  months  old,  are  as  follows,  given  in  the  order 
of  acquirement:  "Oh,  mammam,"  "hab  'em,"  "gib 
'em,"  "  ups-a-dada,"  "  wow  wow,"  "  bow  wow,"  "  ba  " 
and  "baba"  for  papa  (he  generally  says  "ba"),  "by- 
bye." 

30 


UNIVERSITY 
SECOND    YEAR 


I  UNIVERSI 
V 

^AUFQPH 


April  27.  —  "  Ssss  "  (which  he  says  to  dogs,  cats,  etc., 
pointing  his  finger).  The  first  week  in  April  he  said 
"button"  and  "dollar." 

April  30th  he  said  "  cock  "  for  clock,  on  seeing  a  very 
large  clock  at  his  grandfather's.  He  said,  the  same 
week,dga"  for  cat,  "  rub-a-dub-dub,"  "eene,  eene,  mine 
mo,"  and  "  oo-oory-oooo  "  to  a  rooster  in  the  immediate 
vicinity,  which  answered  every  time  he  did  it.  He  was 
behind  a  fence,  where  he  could  not  see  the  rooster.  He 
had  never  seen  or  heard  one,  but  on  hearing  this  one 
crow  he  imitated  him  so  accurately  that  the  two  kept 
it  up  for  some  time,  and  it  was  his  favorite  amusement 
during  his  week's  visit.  Said  "  dere  "  for  there. 

May  8th.—  Said  "  tick-tick-tick  "  and  "  cock  "  for  clock 
for  the  second  time,  upon  seeing  a  large  picture  of  a  clock 
similar  to  the  one  he  saw  April  30th  at  his  grandfather's. 
After  he  was  dressed  this  morning  he  ran  just  as  fast 
as  he  could  toddle  to  his  father,  who  was  still  asleep. 
He  stood  by  him  for  a  few  minutes  and  said  "  up,  up  " 
several  times,  and  looked  very  much  disappointed  be- 
cause this  did  not  waken  him.  He  stood  quietly  for  a 
moment  looking  at  him,  and  no  doubt  puzzling  what  to 
do,  when  he  went  to  the  other  side  of  the  room  to  the 
shoe-closet  and  very  deliberately  took  out  a  bath-slipper, 
which  he  carried  to  his  father,  saying,  as  he  put  it  on  the 
bed,  "  up,  up."  Then  he  returned  to  the  closet  for  the 
other  one,  and  repeated  "  up,  up  "  as  he  was  bringing  it* 
He  had  to  make  two  trips,  for  it  took  both  hands  to 
carry  each  slipper.  By  this  time  his  father  was  awake, 
and  Harold  seemed  very  eager  to  begin  his  morning 
romp  without  more  delay. 

On  May  10th  (fifteen  months  old)  he  said  "  hark  "  ; 
also,  "  boo  "  for  book,  and  the  word  "  up." 

31 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

On  May  15th  he  said  "  goo  "  for  good.  He  frequently 
repeats  the  following  words  to  himself,  as  if  trying 
them:  "hark,"  "dere,"  "rub-a-dub-dub,"  "bow  wow," 
"by -bye,"  "ups-a-dada,"  "up,"  "hab  'em,"  "ssss." 
He  said  "  now"  for  the  first  time. 

On  June  14th  (sixteen  months  old)  he  called  a  boy 
by  name  (Paul),  and  on  June  15th  said  "Bidyet" 
for  Bridget.  At  this  date  he  gabbles  a  great  deal, 
making  all  sorts  of  sounds,  and  seems  to  understand 
when  he  is  told  to  shut  the  door,  kiss  the  cheek,  bring 
mamma's  shoes,  bring  Harold's  shoes.  He  points  to 
his  eyes  and  his  nose,  or  to  mine,  when  asked  where 
they  are. 

On  July  16th  he  said  "Judy,"  and  kissed  the  wire 
form  of  which  he  was  afraid  in  January.  Since  July 
1st  he  has  seemed  to  grow  accustomed  to,  and  even  be- 
come fond  of  it,  saying  "  Lovely  Judy."  When  we 
speak  to  him  of  it  we  say  "  Lovely  Judy,"  etc.,  and 
pat  it  kindly,  and  in  various  ways  we  have  tried  to  get 
him  over  his  fear  of  it,  with  the  above  result. 

July  18th. — To-day  he  said  "bavy"  for  baby,  and 
repeated  it  upon  looking  at  a  picture  of  one.  He  also 
pronounces  "  1 "  in  clock  now. 

July  19th. — He  walked  up  to  the  baby  picture  which 
hung  on  the  wall,  and  repeated  "baby"  in  a  loving 
tone.  He  also  said  "out"  distinctly  to-day.  He  has 
said  "  outs  "  for  a  long  time,  but  we  could  not  discover 
what  he  meant  until  this  month,  when  we  heard  him 
say  it  when  he  pricked  himself  with  a  pin.  We  then 
traced  the  connection  between  his  expression  and  a 
word  used  by  one  of  the  servants — "  ouch" — and  had  a 
practical  demonstration  of  the  influence  of  an  unedu- 
cated servant  upon  a  child  learning  to  talk,  for  it  took 

32 


SECOND    YEAR 

a  long  time  and  much  patient  effort  to  teach  him  to 
drop  this  word. 

He  opens  his  mouth  and  shows  his  tongue  now  when 
asked  where  it  is,  but  he  makes  no  attempt  to  say  the 
word. 

He  calls  pussy  "psss,"  drawing  out  the  sound  of  s. 
Later  in  this  month  he  called  pussy  "putty,"  and  said 
"braw"  for  "broth." 

The  words  acquired  from  July  1st  to  12th  are  "  light," 
"bye,"  "how  do,"  "coat,"  "cap,"  "stove,"  "door,"  and 
"shoes."  He  said  "fire"  one  day  recently,  when  he 
saw  a  lot  of  stoves  at  a  hardware  store. 

July  23d.— To-day  he  tried  to  say,  "Peep,  Bidyet," 
peeping  around  the  wire  form.  He  now  says,  distinctly, 
"  rock-a-bye  "  as  he  rocks  himself  to  and  fro. 

July  24th. — To-day  he  tried  to  say  "  potato,"  and  he 
said  "go  away"  when  some  one  was  teasing  him.  He 
frequently  says  "  no,  no,"  shaking  his  head  as  he  says  it. 
He  understands  when  we  tell  him  to  "  sit  on  the  floor," 
or  to  shut  or  open  the  door.  He  sings  himself  to  sleep 
very  often.  He  has  one  favorite  that  I  play  (one  of 
Heller's  Studies  on  Rhythm),  which  he  tries  to  sing 
whenever  he  hears  it. 

New  words  on  July  26th  and  27th  are  "bread," 
"  blow,"  and  "  door,"  which  he  says  very  distinctly. 

Since  July  1st  he  has  said  something  that  sounds  like 
^a-a-a-h,"  drawing  it  out  between  ah  and  oh,  and  mak- 
ing it  slightly  nasal.  He  says  it  very  lovingly  to  his 
pussy,  or  anything  in  the  way  of  pets  that  are  alive. 
He  will  take  his  pussy  in  his  arms,  smooth  her  fur  affec- 
tionately, and  say  it  in  the  most  loving  manner  possible. 
He  has  always  shown  great  love  for  kittens  or  any  live 
pet. 

c  33 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

To-day,  during  the  visit  of  a  friend,  he  tried  to  occupy 
my  entire  attention.  Hardly  thinking  he  would  do  so, 
I  told  him  very  suggestively  to  go  to  the  piano  and  play 
and  sing.  He  went  at  once,  put  his  fingers  on  the  keys, 
and  tried  to  sing  for  about  a  minute,  which  served  to 
divert  him  for  the  moment  and  gave  me  the  freedom  I 
wanted. 

A  servant  said  to  him  to-day,  "  Peep,  Harold !"  when 
playing  "  peek-a-boo  "  with  him.  He  instantly  replied, 
"Peep,  Bidyet!"  although  he  had  never  said  "peep" 
before.  He  always  says  "  y  "  for  "  g  "  in  her  name.  He 
imitates  words  very  quickly  and  correctly  for  a  child  of 
seventeen  months,  and  seems  to  understand  the  meaning 
of  many  more  words  than  he  says. 

July  20th. — When  building  with  blocks,  pennies,  or 
anything  that  he  can  place  one  above  the  other,  he  lifts 
both  hands  and  exclaims,  "  o-o-o-o-o-o-o-e !"  drawing  out 
the  long  "  e  "  indefinitely,  as  if  very  much  pleased  with 
his  building.  We  let  him  amuse  himself  in  this  way  for 
a  long  time,  changing  his  materials  as  he  seems  to  need 
them.  We  never  change  until  he  begins  to  show  a  little 
restlessness,  for  so  long  as  a  child  is  content  it  is  folly  to 
disturb  it.  In  time  this  policy  secures  serenity  for  the 
child  and  peace  for  those  about  him. 

He  now  helps  undress  himself  for  his  bath  every  even- 
ing, lifts  each  arm  or  foot  when  told  to  help  remove 
each  garment,  and  he  evidently  takes  great  delight  in 
the  whole  process  and  is  always  eager  for  it. 

For  a  long  time  he  has  given  an  expression  of  distaste 
(sounds  like  "  ugh !")  when  obliged  to  take  medicine  that 
he  does  not  like,  and  he  follows  the  sound  with  a  shake 
of  his  head. 

When  finished  taking  his  bottle  of  milk,  no  matter 

34 


SECOND    YEAR 

where  he  is,  whether  just  about  going  to  sleep  or  if 
reacty  for  play,  he  first  hands  the  empty  bottle  to  some 
convenient  person,  saying,  "hab  'em."  He  does  this 
every  time,  and  we  encourage  the  habit  in  the  hope  of 
inducing  method  in  his  actions.  (The  record  shows  that 
at  seven  he  gives  evidence  of  the  results  of  this  plan 
of  action,  for  he  invariably  shuts  doors  when  passing 
through  them,  replaces  articles  he  may  have  used  to 
where  they  belong,  and  in  many  ways  shows  a  methodi- 
cal manner  of  action,  even  in  his  play.) 

He  often  leaves  an  ounce  or  more  in  the  bottle.  Noth- 
ing can  induce  him  to  take  this  when  he  reaches  the 
point  which  to  him  seems  final. 

July  28th. — He  said  "  baba  "  for  papa  to-day,  for  the 
first  time  for  a  long  while.  He  has  said  "  ba  "  only,  with 
one  or  two  exceptions,  before  this  time. 

He  now  says  "  door  "  frequently,  and  says  "  bruh  "  for 
brush. 

Since  August  2d  he  has  said  "birdie"  distinctly, 
"bre"  for  bread,  "bat"  for  bath,  and  "  wa"  for  water 
on  seeing  a  tub  filled  with  it.  A  week  ago  he  saw  it 
rain  very  fast,  and  said  "  wat."  When  he  sees  a  glass 
he  says  "wat,"  and  will  take  a  drink  if  we  will  offer 
water  in  the  glass.  He  also  says  "  wat"  when  thirsty, 
without  seeing  a  glass  to  suggest  it. 

On  August  13th  he  pointed  to  the  gas-fixture  and  said 
"li"  for  light. 

The  next  day  he  went  to  two  gates  in  the  yard,  one 
after  the  other,  and  said  "  ga  "  at  each  one.  The  same 
day  he  saw  a  bird  from  a  window  in  the  nursery,  and  he 
went  from  one  window  to  the  other  to  see  it  as  long  as 
he  could,  saying  "birdie,"  showing  clearly  how  he  reason- 
ed about  seeing  farther  from  one  window  than  the  other. 

35 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

I  took  up  a  clothes-brush  of  his  father's  to-day  as  I 
stood  at  the  dressing-case  with  him  in  my  arms.  He 
took  it  from  me  and  said,  "  baba,  bruh."  I  smiled,  and 
he  said  it  again  and  kissed  it.  He  is  very  affectionate, 
and  we  all  try  to  be  as  responsive  as  it  is  possible  for 
older  persons  to  be.  Children  are  really  made  very  un- 
happy at  times  by  the  chilling  manner  with  which  their 
affectionate  outbursts  are  sometimes  met.  Snubbing 
and  unkind  criticism  should  have  no  place  in  a  child's 
education  when  spontaneity  is  desired. 

On  the  7th  of  this  month  (August)  his  father  brought 
him  a  fox-terrier,  called  Jack,  that  had  just  arrived 
from  England.  Harold  was  delighted  with  him,  and 
the  dog  seemed  to  be  equally  delighted  with  the  child. 
He  cried  the  first  time  the  dog  licked  his  face.  "We 
could  not  punish  nor  train  the  dog  to  do  anything  in  the 
child's  presence  by  showing  severity,  for  every  time  any 
one  spoke  sharply  to  the  dog,  Harold  would  cry.  (The 
record  shows  this  trait  throughout.  When  only  four 
months  old  he  would  cry  if  he  saw  another  baby  cry. 
"When  seven  years  old  he  confided  to  his  mother,  one 
night  before  going  to  bed,  what  a  little  girl  had  told  him 
in  the  day  about  her  intention  of  drowning  a  family  of 
young  kittens.  With  tears  in  his  voice  and  eyes,  he 
said:  "Oh,  mamma,  I  cannot  bear  to  talk  about  it! 
Will  she  do  it  ?"  His  mother  said  no,  and  further  as- 
sured him  she  would  not  allow  it.  He  then  said :  "  If 
she  does,  I'll  drown  the  mother  kitty  myself;  if  she 
wants  to  drown  the  babies,  she  ought  to  drown  the 
mother,  too."  Then  he  said :  "  Mamma,  it  nearly  makes 
me  cry  to  even  tell  you."  So  she  diverted  him  with 
a  funny  remark,  which  he  is  always  quick  to  appre- 
ciate.) 


SECOND    YEAR 

He  follows  his  dog  all  over  the  house,  plays  with  him 
happily,  and  loves  him  very  much,  but  he  tries  to  pre- 
vent him  from  touching  him  with  his  tongue.  He  often 
says  to  him  in  the  most  loving  tone,  "o-o-o-h,"  drawing 
it  out  at  great  length. 

He  now  goes  to  sleep  regularly  in  his  crib.  Before 
this  he  was  frequently  held  in  arms  while  being  sung 
to  sleep,  after  which  he  would  be  quietly  placed  in  his 
bed,  and  no  trouble  was  experienced  in  making  the 
change.  He  seems  to  trust  us  so  entirely  that  he  will 
do  whatever  we  can  make  him  understand  is  for  his 
good.  This  trust  is  cultivated  by  never  asking  him  to 
do  anything  simply  for  the  amusement  of  others,  or  to 
show  their  authority,  and  he  always  gets  a  reason  that 
he  can  understand  when  he  is  directed  to  do  anything, 
unless  instant  obedience  is  required,  as  in  case  of 
danger,  when  the  reason  for  the  command  is  carefully 
explained  after  he  has  obeyed.  (This  may  account  to 
some  extent  for  the  reasonableness  of  his  disposition  as 
it  develops  later  on.) 

August  14th. — To-day,  when  giving  him  his  nap,  I  for- 
got to  pull  down  the  mosquito-netting  that  was  hanging 
over  his  crib.  He  pulled  at  it,  saying  "  h'm,"  whether 
in  imitation  of  the  hum  of  a  mosquito  or  not  I  cannot 
say.  He  seems  to  understand  all  we  say  to  him,  but  we 
are  careful  to  use  words  that  we  think  he  will  under- 
stand. If  I  say  :  "  Take  this  to  papa,  please,"  or,  "  Take 
this  to  Sarah,  please,"  he  distinguishes,  and  does  it  cheer- 
fully. He  is  always  willing  to  do  things  for  us,  to  run 
little  errands,  and  if  he  sees  anything  drop  from  my  lap 
when  I  am  reading  or  sewing,  he  invariably  stops  his 
play  and  comes  to. pick  it  up  for  me.  In  this  way  he 
shows  all  the  time  what  seems  like  a  loving  wish  to 

37 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

help,  which  we  are  encouraging,  for  it  is  the  key-note  of 
self -activity,  and  promotes  unselfishness. 

Sometimes  I  say  :  "  Do  you  want  your  bottle  ?"  He 
understands,  and  says  "  Yes."  When  either  the  nurse 
or  I  must  leave  the  room  for  a  moment  we  say :  "  Harold, 
will  you  please  sit  still  on  the  chair  until  I  come  back  2" 
He  always  says  "  Yes,"  and  sits  there,  many  a  time 
singing  to  himself  until  we  return.  This  plan  was  fol- 
lowed so  as  to  be  sure  he  would  not  get  into  mischief 
from  undue  temptation,  for  he  is  too  young  yet  to  resist. 
We  always  found  it  more  effective  and  more  pleasant 
to  say  "  do  this,"  or  "  do  that,  please,"  instead  of  say- 
ing «  don't." 

August  17th. — When  he  awoke  this  morning  he  said 
"  door,"  pointing  to  it.  Then  he  pointed  to  the  bell  and 
said :  "  Bridyet,  door-bell  ringing."  This  was  his  first 
attempt  at  connecting  a  sentence  of  any  length.  He  is 
now  eighteen  months  old. 

He  now  calls  his  dog  by  name,  adding  a  "y"  to  it, 
however,  saying  "  Jacky."  He  also  tries  to  make  a 
sound  with  his  lips  to  call  the  dog,  in  imitation  of  his 
father's  method  of  calling  the  dog  to  him. 

August  21st. — When  I  was  showing  him  his  "Piggy 
Book  "  to-day,  he  put  his  finger  on  each  picture  and  then 
put  it  in  his  mouth  and  looked  very  knowing.  Upon 
looking  into  the  matter  we  found  that  yesterday  his 
nurse  wet  her  finger  to  turn  a  leaf  and  he  imitated  her 
to-day,  but  his  action  looked  as  if  he  thought  he  was 
eating  from  the  book.  He  tasted  his  medicine  to-day 
by  putting  his  finger  in.  it  before  he  would  take  it.  He 
had  two  bottles  of  medicine  that  looked  alike.  He  liked 
one,  and  objected  decidedly  to  taking  the  other.  After 
finding  out,  by  putting  his  finger  in  it,  that  I  was  oifer- 

38 


SECOND    YEAR 

ing  him  the  one  he  liked,  he  took  it  without  a  word. 
When  using  vaseline  for  a  head  cold,  he  always  helps 
put  it  on.  He  will  put  his  finger  in  the  bottle  very 
daintily  and  rub  the  bridge  of  his  nose  and  forehead 
thoroughly,  but  he  often  puts  little  dabs  all  over  his 
face  too,  as  if  he  enjoys  it. 

He  tried  to  help  me  push  a  piece  of  sewing  through 
the  machine  this  morning  when  I  was  stitching.  He 
placed  his  hands  on  the  work  as  he  saw  the  seamstress 
do  yesterday.  He  was  on  my  lap  at  the  time,  where  I 
often  allow  him  to  sit  as  I  sew.  He  enjoys  watching 
the  machine  go  so  very  much  that  he  will  sit  motionless 
so  long  as  any  one  will  hold  him,  maybe  five  minutes  at 
a  time  gazing  at  the  same  thing.  For  three  months  he 
has  pulled  the  strap  of  the  machine  voluntarily,  look- 
ing up  at  the  same  time  to  see  the  needle  move.  (This 
interest  in  mechanics  was  allowed  to  grow  spontane- 
ously by  providing  the  right  environment  for  it,  and  at 
seven  he  shows  remarkable  ingenuity  and  mechanical 
skill.) 

August  22d. — Some  little  girls  who  live  next  door  came 
home  yesterday,  and  nurse  asked  Harold  to  call  to  one 
of  them,  saying,  "  Call  Mamie,"  which  he  did  distinctly, 
and,  although  he  had  never  said  Mamie  before,  to  our 
knowledge,  he  repeated  it  several  times  afterwards.  He 
always  does  this  with  new  words,  as  if  trying  them. 
(The  record  shows  that  he  did  this  without  any  acquire- 
ment of  language  up  to  seven  years,  and  does  it  still,  his 
favorite  time  for  practice  being  after  he  wakes  in  the 
morning.)  She  also  told  him  to  call  Alice,  the  sister. 
He  tried  to  do  so,  but  succeeded  only  in  saying  "  Ell." 

His  father  has  been  away  for  a  few  days,  and  to-day 
he  called  "  papa  "  after  a  man  going  by,  and  cried  bit- 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

terly  because  the  man  did  not  stop.  I  did  not  notice 
whether  the  man  resembled  his  father  or  not.  The 
father  of  the  little  girls  next  door  resembles  him,  and 
this  afternoon  when  Harold  saw  him  he  wanted  to  go  to 
him.  The  gentleman  took  him  for  a  while,  and  Harold 
cried  when  he  was  taken  away.  He  evidently  misses 
his  father  very  much.  About  a  week  after  this  he  was 
taken  to  the  house  of  a  friend  where  he  saw  a  cuckoo- 
clock  for  the  first  time,  and  learned  to  say  "  cuckoo." 
Afterwards  when  asked  what  birdie  said,  he  replied, 
"  cuckoo." 

He  has  said  "  bi "  for  bite  for  some  time.  He  heard 
it  in  connection  with  some  conversation  about  mosqui- 
toes about  the  middle  of  August.  He  says  "  bavy "  to 
me  in  the  most  loving  tones.  He  will  lay  his  head 
against  me  in  the  morning  and  say  it  when  he  wants  to 
wake  me.  His  head  just  reaches  my  pillow  as  he  stands 
by  the  bed.  He  says  it  too,  in  the  same  loving  way, 
when  he  thinks  he  has  received  a  special  favor.  When- 
ever I  do  anything  that  pleases  him  very  much — smile  to 
him,  give  him  a  kiss,  or  give  him  a  trifle  to  play  with 
that  shows  him  that  I  thought  of  him  when  he  wasn't 
there — I  notice  what  seems  to  me  to  be  an  attempt  to 
show  his  appreciation.  (The  record  shows  that  later  on, 
when  he  could  talk,  he  invariably  said  on  similar  occa- 
sions to  his  mother,  either  "  Lovely  mamma,"  or  "  Good 
mamma,"  or  "  Why  are  you  so  good  ?"  or  he  would  kiss 
her  and  fondle  her  and  say  nothing,  and  at  seven  he 
still  has  the  same  habit.) 

September  8th. — This  morning  I  killed  a  mosquito  on 
the  wall  by  slapping  it  with  my  hand.  He  promptly 
imitated  me,  and  also  looked  about  the  room  and  up  at 
the  ceiling  to  see  if  there  were  more  of  them.  He 

40 


SECOND    YEAR 

walked  about  with  his  head  back,  imitating  every  move- 
ment of  mine. 

September  8th.— He  tried  to  say  "girl"  to-day  on 
seeing  a  picture  of  one  in  the  nursery  song-book.  I  read 
"  Mistress  Mary,  quite  contrary,"  to  him  this  morning. 
When  I  said  "  Mary  "  he  said  "  Mamie,"  evidently  recog- 
nizing the  similarity  in  Mary  to  the  name  "  Mamie  "  that 
he  had  learned  a  few  days  before.  When  he  wants  to 
go  anywhere  or  to  get  something,  he  now  comes  to  one 
of  us  and  says  "  hand,"  and  tries  to  lead  us  to  what  he 
wants.  A  few  minutes  ago  he  said  to  his  nurse,  "  hand 
— stair,"  leading  her  to  the  stairs  that  go  down. 

He  heard  a  person  on  the  street  say  "  wait "  yester- 
day, and  he  called  "  wait "  after  him. 

To-day  he  called  "  papa  "  after  a  man  on  the  street 
who  resembled  his  father.  There  were  other  men  in  the 
vicinity,  and  he  singled  out  this  one. 

On  September  5th  his  father  took  the  dog  away  and 
remained  over  Sunday.  Harold  missed  the  dog  at  once 
when  he  woke  from  his  nap;  he  called  and  looked  all 
over  for  both  his  father  and  the  dog.  A  few  days  after, 
when  I  said  to  him :  "  Call  the  dog,"  he  looked  under 
the  bed  and  called  "  Jacky  "  distinctly. 

He  has  said  "  pease "  for  please  since  the  middle  of 
August ;  also  "  ang  you  "  for  thank  you.  From  the  be- 
ginning of  August  he  has  said  "  hot "  when  near  any- 
thing warm — as,  for  instance,  a  stove,  a  fire  of  any  kind, 
a  dish  of  hot  food,  etc.  He  also  says  "  flies  "  distinctly, 
and  "  band,"  meaning  the  knit  band  he  wears. 

On  September  llth  he  said  "  hugar  "  for  sugar.  He 
has  said  it  several  times  lately,  but  we  did  not  under- 
stand until  to-day  what  he  meant  by  it.  He  also  said 
"  gas  "  and  "  bites  "  distinctly  to-day  instead  of  saying 

41 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

"  ga  "  and  "  bi,"  as  he  used  to  do,  pointing  to  the  gas- 
fixture  when  he  said  "  gas,"  and  to  some  marks  of  mos- 
quito-bites when  he  said  "  bites." 

While  driving  with  Mrs.  N this  afternoon  he  put 

his  face  to  his  mother's,  patted  her  cheek  with  his  hand, 
and  said,  in  a  loving  tone,  "mamma."  Later  in  the 
day  some  one  said  "mam-ma."  He  immediately  said 
"  ma-ma,"  which  is  the  way  he  always  accents  the  word. 

He  leaned  over  to  Mrs.  N in  the  carriage  to-day  and 

put  his  hand  up  towards  her  cheek,  saying,  very  affec- 
tionately, "  o-o-o-h !"  This  is  a  very  usual  expression  for 
him  when  he  wants  to  show  liking  for  any  one.  He 
always  says  it  when  he  pets  a  dog  or  cat.  He  shows  no 
fear  of  any  one,  and  a  liking  for  nearly  everybody.  To- 
day I  showed  him  a  picture  of  a  dog.  He  said  "  o-o-o-h !" 
kissed  the  picture,  and  put  it  to  my  lips  to  be  kissed. 
When  I  said  "Call  bow-wow,"  he  called  "Jacky." 
When  he  heard  an  engine  go  by  to-day  he  said  "  choo- 
choo  "  for  the  first  time. 

This  evening  we  were  looking  at  some  pictures  when  I 
said,  pointing  to  one  that  only  resembled  a  rooster  :  "  Is 
that  an  oo-oory-ooo  ?"  (his  name  for  one).  He  shook  his 
head  and  said  "  No." 

Yesterday  Mrs.  !N" offered  him  a  piece  of  sweet 

chocolate.  Her  little  boy  is  fond  of  it.  Harold  tasted  it 
and  returned  it,  showing  by  his  manner  that  he  didn't 
like  it.  I  gave  him  a  taste  of  something  I  had  at  the 
time  and  asked  him  if  he  liked  it.  He  made  a  face, 
shook  his  head,  and  said  "  No-o-o."  He  always  shows 
likes  and  dislikes  very  plainly,  especially  in  connection 
with  food. 

He  saw  a  roulette- wheel  to-day  for  the  first  time.  He 

and  N (a  boy  of  the  same  age)  were  playing  with  it. 

42 


SECOND    YEAR 

1ST pushed  it  by  the  spokes ;  Harold  took  hold  of  it 

in  the  middle  and  twirled  it  with  thumb  and  forefinger 
in  the  regular  way. 

One  evening  this  week  he  was  allowed  to  remain  up  a 
little  longer  than  usual.  After  his  bath  he  was  placed 
in  his  crib,  the  gas  was  lighted,  and  he  was  given  his 
"  Mother-Goose  "  book  and  a  copy  of  a  weekly  journal 
of  mechanical  illustrations,  of  which  he  is  so  fond  that 
whenever  he  sees  one  he  recognizes  it  and  tries  to  get  it. 
The  next  night,  when  being  put  to  bed  at  the  same  hour, 
he  asked  for  the  book,  pointed  to  the  gas,  said  "  gas," 
and  kept  repeating  "  book  "  as  he  went  to  his  crib.  He 
was  again  allowed  to  wait  and  to  have  the  books.  The 
third  evening  he  showed  that  he  expected  the  same  thing, 
so  he  was  put  to  bed  as  usual,  just  as  if  he  was  expected 
not  to  protest,  tucked  in,  kissed  "  good-night "  as  usual, 
after  having  had  his  bottle  of  milk,  the  netting  was 
pulled  down,  the  room  was  darkened,  and  "  good-night " 
was  said.  He  evidently  accepted  the  intended  suggestion 
of  "  no  books  or  gas-light  to-night,"  for  he  fell  asleep 
without  a  protest.  He  is  trustful  and  very  docile,  and 
although  naturally  self-willed,  he  generally  does  just  as 
we  direct.  It  never  seems  to  dawn  upon  him  that  he 
should  oppose  any  one.  For  this  reason  care  is  taken 
not  to  provoke  opposition,  in  order  to  preserve  this  spirit 
for  future  need — when  absolute  and  instant  obedience 
might  be  required.  (The  above  portion  of  the  record 
shows  very  clearly  how  easily  a  bad  habit  might  be 
formed  by  unwise  indulgence.  Bad  in  the  sense  of 
being  unwise  from  a  hygienic  stand-point,  for  the  neces- 
sity of  freedom  from  mental  excitement  during  the  last 
hours  of  a  child's  day,  and  also  of  a  regular  hour  for  its 
bedtime,  must  be  fully  realized.  It  is  through  little 

43 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

things  like  this  that  one  gains  the  control  that,  later  on, 
will  bring  loving  obedience.) 

While  we  were  out  driving  to-day  Harold  saw  a  lady 
riding  by ;  he  opened  his  eyes  wide  and  looked  after  her 
until  she  disappeared,  for  he  had  never  seen  a  woman  in 
the  saddle  before. 

I  gave  him  some  sugar  on  the  tip  of  my  finger  at 
luncheon.  He  enjoyed  pecking  at  it  for  some  time,  and 
then  he  tried  to  bite  my  finger,  laughing  heartily  each 
time  I  snatched  it  away  to  escape  being  bitten. 

Last  night  I  found  that  the  key  of  my  bedroom  door 
was  missing,  and  I  felt  certain  that  he  had  taken  it,  for 
every  morning  he  is  in  the  habit  of  carrying  it  to  another 
room  to  open  a  door  of  which  we  have  lost  the  key. 
To-day  we  found  it  in  the  corner  of  a  drawer  in  the 
room  to  which  he  went  daily  with  the  key.  I  have 
often  wondered  whether  he  intended  to  save  himself  the 
daily  trip,  for  he  is  a  sagacious  little  chap. 

To-day,  when  making  up  his  crib,  I  said,  "  Harold, 
bring  me  the  sheet."  He  looked  all  about  for  something 
to  bring  but  didn't  know  what  I  meant.  I  touched  the 
sheet  without  saying  anything,  and  he  instantly  pulled 
it  from  the  chair  and  brought  it  to  me.  (A  quick  com- 
prehension can  easily  be  cultivated  in  children  by  self- 
restraint  upon  the  part  of  the  mother.) 

September  14th. — To-day  he  is  nineteen  months  old. 
I  said  "moon  "to  him,  pointing  to  it,  and  he  repeated  the 
word  distinctly  several  times.  Afterwards  I  returned  to 
the  window  and  looked  out.  He  followed  me  and  said 
the  word  again,  remembering  it  clearly  after  the  short 
interval.  Just  before  going  to  bed  he  saw  some  of  his 
books.  He  said  "  book,  book,"  and  "  gas  "  as  I  lighted 
it.  We  then  looked  at  the  pictures.  Every  clock  he 

44 


SECOND    YEAR 

called  by  name,  and  put  down  his  ear  to  listen.  He 
kissed  all  the  pictures  of  cats  and  dogs,  and  said  "  pud- 
dy"  to  the  pussy  pictures  and  "  wow-wow"  to  the  dogs, 
also  saying  "  o-o-o-h  "  affectionately  to  each  one,  as  he 
always  does  to  pet  animals. 

When  it  was  time,  this  morning,  he  was  told  to  call 
his  father.  He  went  to  his  room,  as  he  always  does,  and 
wakened  him  in  a  very  gentle,  loving  way  by  going  to 
his  side  and  saying  "  hm-m."  This  morning  he  made 
a  great  romp  of  it,  alternately  kissing  and  petting  him, 
and  then  running  away.  He  would  then  return  again 
to  the  bed,  put  his  head  on  his  father's  pillow,  then  say 
"  bye,"  and  run  away  again. 

He  sleeps  soundly,  and  does  not  want  to  wake,  it  ap- 
pears, until  his  hour  for  rising,  for  whenever  he  is  dis- 
turbed he  seems  annoyed,  and  falls  asleep  again  as 
quickly  as  he  is  let  alone.  At  eleven  last  night  I  gave 
him  his  milk,  for  which  he  wakes  voluntarily  at  the 
exact  time.  I  placed  him  on  my  bed  after  turning  up 
the  light,  shook  up  his  pillows,  and  rearranged  his  crib. 
I  then  placed  him  in  the  crib,  kissed  him,  said  "good- 
night," and  drew  down  the  netting.  He  looked  at  me 
sleepily,  laughed,  turned  over,  and  was  asleep  before  I 
had  time  to  open  the  window  and  turn  down  the  light. 
When  I  go  to  my  room  late  at  night  he  does  not  stir. 
I  have  noticed  that  when  he  is  well,  and  eats  a  light, 
early  supper  (at  five  o'clock),  he  sleeps  soundly.  The 
least  indiscretion  at  his  supper -time,  or  too  much  ex- 
citement after  five  o'clock,  invariably  causes  restless- 
ness. (The  record  shows  the  same  result  throughout.) 

Every  morning  now  he  wakes  about  six,  pulls  away 
the  netting  that  is  over  him,  and  calls  me.  I  ask  him 
if  he  wants  some  milk.  He  says  "yes,"  invariably. 

45 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

When  I  give  it  to  him,  he  takes  it  himself  in  his  usual 
fashion,  holding  up  the  bottle  with  both  hands,  so  that 
the  neck  is  full  all  the  time.  When  he  has  had  all  he 
wants,  he  hands  it  back  to  me,  generally  saying  "  hab 
'em."  He  sometimes  goes  to  sleep  again  without  a 
word,  but  generally  he  wants  to  get  up ;  if  so,  he  calls 
his  nurse,  who  takes  him  to  the  nursery  and  dresses  him. 
He  seems  to  understand  that  for  another  hour  I  am  not 
to  be  disturbed,  for  he  remains  with  her  contentedly 
until  it  is  time  to  call  me,  when  he  is  all  eagerness,  first 
to  get  me  up  and  dressed,  and  then  to  go  to  his  father, 
who  usually  has  a  romp  with  him  while  he  dresses.  (It 
is  very  interesting  to  note  how  he  accepted  the  habits 
of  the  household  and  adapted  himself  to  them,  as,  for 
instance,  he  was  quiet  for  an  hour  after  he  was  up,  and 
then  he  evidently  thought  it  was  time  for  others  to  rise, 
for  he  was  heard  everywhere.  Habit  had  a  great  deal 
to  do  with  this,  and  every  one  was  careful  not  to  disturb 
it  by  irregularity  in  his  life.  The  mother  claimed  that 
he  was  at  any  rate  much  happier  by  being  taught  to 
consider  others  than  he  would  have  been  had  he  been 
allowed,  perhaps  unwittingly,  to  be  a  disturber  of  the 
peace  of  every  one  around  in  the  early  morning  hours.) 
This  morning  he  discovered  that  he  could  slide  his  feet 
on  the  carpet  and  sit  down  suddenly  by  holding  to  me 
as  he  leaned  against  me.  He  did  it  repeatedly  with 
great  glee.  Yesterday  he  climbed  all  alone  up  and 
down  the  steps  on  the  porch,  and  he  is  becoming  quite 
venturesome.  This  week  he  said  "  wagon "  quite  dis- 
tinctly when  he  saw  one  of  his  toy  wagons.  He  also 
says  "  ice  "  now  whenever  he  wants  us  to  give  him  some, 
and  broadens  the  same  sound  for  "  eyes."  He  still  says 
"  wat "  for  water. 

46 


SECOND    YEAR 

He  says  "mamma"  and  "papa"  correctly,  but  he 
still  says  "  bavy  "  for  baby,  "  hugar  "  for  sugar,  "  bock  " 
for  block,  "  bot "  for  bottle. 

For  a  few  days  past  he  has  shown  temper,  kicking  and 
screaming  when  not  pleased.  I  paid  no  attention  to  him 
each  time  that  he  did  it  beyond  saying  "  good-bye,"  and 
going  towards  the  door  as  he  lay  on  the  floor  kicking. 
He  got  up  at  once  and  came  after  me  every  time,  evi- 
dently forgetting  all  about  the  disturbance  in  his  fear 
that  I  would  leave  him  alone. 

He  still  says  "puddy"  for  pussy.  He  often  says 
"  peep,  oh !"  and  plays  it  on  the  slightest  provocation. 
He  claps  his  hands  and  tries  to  clap  on  mine.  He  puts 
his  finger  in  his  mouth  and  then  offers  it  to  me.  He  did 
the  same  thing  once  when  eating  sugar  with  his  finger. 
He  grows  more  affectionate  every  day — runs  up  and 
touches  us,  lays  his  head  or  hands  against  us,  saying 
"bavy" — meaning  himself — in  a  long-drawn-out,  loving 
tone  that  is  indescribable.  He  frequently  kisses  little 
Mamie  next  door.  He  has  selected  her  as  his  favorite 
out  of  a  family  of  six  children. 

September  22d. — To-day  he  said  "  po-book  "  for  pock- 
et-book, "toes,"  "pins,"  and  also  "water"  instead  of 
"  wat,"  and  "  Tottie "  for  Topsy,  his  new  dog's  name. 
Two  weeks  later  he  said  "han,"  then  "fan,"  for  fan. 

October  18th. — He  wanted  to  sit  on  a  chair  that  had 
a  towel  on  it.  He  evidently  did  not  want  to  sit  on  the 
towel,  so  he  brought  it  to  me,  saying  "towel"  dis- 
tinctly for  the  first  time.  It  is  curious  to  hear  him  use 
words  as  occasion  suggests  that  we  never  supposed  he 
knew. 

From  October  1st  to  the  21st  he  has  said  "  goose," 
"  cushy"  for  cushion,  and  "  neeze"  for  sneeze  (imitating 

47 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

a  sneeze  lie  heard) ;  "  baa-baa  "  when  looking  at  a  picture 
of  sheep ;  "  choo-choo  walk  carry  papa "  all  in  one  sen- 
tence, when  his  father  went  to  town  one  morning  and  he 
seemed  very  anxious  to  go  with  him ;  "  scissors,"  "  fork," 
"poon"  for  spoon;  "Gacky"  for  Jacky,  "Tossy"  in- 
stead of  "  Tottie,"  as  at  first,  for  Topsy,  and  "  Bahdee," 
the  name  of  a  friend's  cat,  which  we  were  taking  care 
of  at  the  time. 

He  also  said  "  hat "  and  "  cuckoo  "  in  one  sentence  on 

seeing  a  picture  of  the  child  N ,  who  lived  in  the  house 

containing  the  cuckoo-clock.     N had  his  hat  on  in 

the  picture,  which  he  noticed  instantly.  He  also  said 
"  hanger  "  for  hammer,  and  "  wet "  for  the  first  time. 

October  20th. —  He  said  lt winnow"  for  window, 
"  coach,"  and  "  horsey  moo "  ;  said  "  moo "  to  a  cow 
also.  Whenever  he  hears  the  door-bell  ring  now  he 
says  "bell."  One  day  recently  the  electrician  was 
here  to  repair  the  bell.  He  was  very  much  interested, 
and  watched  him  closely.  Later  in  the  day  he  said  to 
Bridget,  "  Bishy,  stairs  bell  wats "  (meaning  he  wanted 
to  go  down-stairs  and  watch).  This  morning  he  reached 
for  his  tooth-brush,  and  said  "  toot-broush."  He  now 
says  "  broush "  instead  of  "  bruh,"  as  he  did  at  first. 
Said  "baksy"  for  basket,  "pitty"  for  pretty. 

When  he  gets  cross  and  cries,  we  say  "  No,  no,  pretty," 
and  he  repeats  "  pitty,"  and  clears  his  face  at  once,  many 
a  time  looking  up  smiling  with  tears  still  in  his  eyes. 

He  pointed  to  the  moon  and  said  "  gas."  He  also  says, 
now,  " buttony  "  for  button,  and  "knife"  and  "fork." 
He  seems  to  enjoy  saying  knife  lately,  when  he  sees  a 
picture  of  a  fork.  He  waits  for  us  to  correct  him,  and 
then  does  it  again  with  the  next  picture  of  a  fork  in  his 
pet  book,  his  eyes  full  of  fun. 

48 


SECOND    YEAR 

He  says  "  banket "  for  blanket,  and  "  hummer  "  when 
he  wants  to  open  things.  We  cannot  find  out  what 
word  he  wants  to  use.  We  thought  it  might  be  "  under," 
as  he  says  it  when  he  tries  to  lift  the  lid  of  a  jewel-case 
or  of  a  box  on  the  table. 

Recently  he  said  "hair,"  brushing  it  at  the  same  time ; 
also  "table,"  lifting  the  lid  of  a  side-table  when  saying  it; 
and"Bishy,"  when  he  saw  a  picture  of  a  coal-scuttle, 
associating  her  with  the  fires  she  tends.  When  he  saw 
a  picture  of  a  stove-lifter  he  said  "hot." 

One  night  lately,  before  going  to  sleep,  when  alone  in 
the  dark,  he  said  "  Popp^,  popp^ — I  see  you,  poppee. 
Bishy,  Bahdee,  poppee,  poppee."  We  were  away  from 
home  at  the  time  for  a  few  days'  visit,  and  he  seemed  to 
miss  them  all.  He  pronounced  "1"  to-day  in  clock  for 
the  first  time,  and  then  said  it  only  once.  Said  "  tree '' 
for  the  first  time  when  out  walking.  He  always  says 
"thank  you"  when  we  give  him  anything.  A  short 
time  ago  I  took  something  from  a  servant  without 
thanking  her,  and  he  did  it  for  me.  He  often  does  this 
when  he  notices  the  omission. 

He  says  "  mell "  for  smell  when  he  sees  my  smelling- 
salts. 

Says  "pins"  and  "pail";  "wing"  for  ring;  "dum" 
for  drum,  and  "  schlissel "  and  "  key "  whenever  he 
sees  one  either  in  the  door  or  in  his  beloved  journal  of 
mechanical  illustrations.  The  latter  has  a  page  full  of 
pictures  of  various  sizes  of  keys.  We  told  him  a  key 
was  a  "schliissel''  in  German,  and  he  has  called  the 
book  his  "  schlissel  book  "  ever  since. 

He  said  "wide,  Mamie,"  the  other  day,  for  "ride, 
Mamie,"  when  he  saw  a  girl  on  a  tricycle.  He  is  accus- 
tomed to  seeing  Mamie  P on  one  when  he  is  at  home. 

D  49 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

This  month  some  one  gave  him  a  pack  of  cards  with 
a  picture  of  a  dog  on  the  back  of  each  one.  He  will  say 
"good-night"  and  kiss  each  dog  as  he  puts  the  cards 
aside  when  he  is  done  playing  with  them,  sometimes 
kissing  every  dog  in  the  pack. 

He  says  "  pool "  for  spool,  and  repeats  many  words 
after  us  very  distinctly.  One  morning  he  heard  a  clock 
strike,  and  said  "  cuckoo,"  recalling  the  cuckoo-clock  we 
saw  last  summer.  We  are  still  at  his  grandma's,  and  he 
says  "  ganma  "  for  grandma. 

November  1st. — We  are  home  again.  To-day  I  told 
him  to  come  to  the  nursery  window  to  see  the  sunshine. 
He  came,  saying  "  tuntine,"  and  all  day  he  said  it  at 
intervals,  lifting  the  curtain  and  looking  out  at  the  same 
time.  He  also  said  it  when  he  saw  some  tin-foil  with 
which  he  was  playing.  (For  many  months  he  called 
tin-foil  sunshine.) 

November  2d. —  He  counted  three,  four,  five,  six, 
nine  to-day  voluntarily.  Some  time  ago  his  nurse 
counted  a  few  cards  for  him,  saying,  one,  two,  three, 
four;  he  at  once  picked  up  three  and  four,  saying 
"  fee "  for  three,  and  ever  since  he  has  called  his  cards 
"fee -fours."  When  we  count  them  for  him  he  says 
six  as  soon  as  we  say  five ;  also  ten  after  we  say  nine. 

November  3d. — Instead  of  repeating  or  counting  with 
us,  he  said  the  above  numbers  himself.  (The  record 
shows  exceptional  interest  in  numbers  later  on.) 

When  hearing  a  baby  cry,  he  says  "  poor  bavy." 

Hearing  the  question,  "  Have  you  used  Pears'  soap  ?" 
suggested  to  him  to  say  "  Sares'  soap,"  and  during  the 
day  he  often  comes  to  me,  saying  u  good  -  morning " 
and  "  Sares'  soap "  without  waiting  for  my  answer  or 
question. 

50 


SECOND    YEAR 

He  now  says  "  tsain "  for  chain,  "  wain "  for  rain, 
"cacker"  for  cracker.  One  day  he  tore  his  dress,  and 
pointing  his  finger  at  it,  said  "  o  o-o-h." 

To-day  —  November  4th  —  he  said,  "seepy"  when 
yawning ;  also  "  seepy  boy,"  and  "  here  it  is." 

He  said  "there  it  goes"  when  eating  something,  and 
when  holding  up  an  envelope  he  said  "  paper." 

November  6th. — Said  "house"  to-day,  while  building 
blocks.  He  also  called  "  Carrie "  (a  visitor)  when  he 
woke  up,  and  looked  in  the  next  room  for  her.  It  is 
very  amusing  to  watch  him  running  to  her  with  open 
arms,  saying  "  comes,"  meaning  "  here  he  comes."  This 
morning  he  said  "here  he  comes"  when  pushing  his 
foot  through  his  clothes  when  dressing,  and  he  also  said 
"here  it  goes"  when  eating  some  stewed  celery  at  dinner. 

November  7th. — He  said  "  foot  clock  "  to-day,  point- 
ing to  the  feet  of  a  clock ;  "  apple-butter  ";  and  he  sai4 
"  seepy  "  again  when  yawning. 

On  Monday,  when  looking  at  the  picture  of  the  "  pig 
who  had  roast-beef,"  he  said  "dinner — funny." 

This  week  he  has  acquired  the  following  words,  in 
the  order  given :  "say  so";  "rats";  "cheek";  "cake"; 
"cook,"  for  crook,  in  "Little  Bo  Peep";  "bucket"; 
"  whistle  "  ;  blowed.  When  he  saw  a  gentleman's  comb 
to-day  he  said  "  papa."  He  said  "  papa's  room,"  on  en- 
tering it  when  returning  home  after  a  week's  absence ; 
said  "  crib  "  when  going  into  his  own  room ;  and  called 
"Bishy"  when  he  saw  her.  Said  to  Bridget,  "Bell 
bwoke,  fix  it."  When  I  told  his  nurse  he  had  gained 
half  a  pound,  he  repeated  "  half  a  pound." 

November  12th.— To-day  he  said  "  stick  through,"  put- 
ting a  stick  through  a  hole,  and  he  said  "shovel"  vol- 
untarily. When  bathing  him  this  morning  in  the  large 

51 


*•        OF  THB 

UNIVERSITY 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

bath-tub,  I  took  his  head  and  nurse  took  his  feet  and 
we  floated  him.  He  showed  no  fear,  but  let  himself  rise 
to  the  top  of  the  water.  Next  time  he  took  his  bath  I 
took  his  head,  meaning  to  do  it  again,  but  before  nurse 
could  help  me  he  said  "  hand — foot "  to  her,  intimating 
that  he  was  ready  for  it  again. 

November  13th. — He  said  "finger"  to-day,  for  the  first 
time,  taking  mine  in  his  hand  and  examining  it  while  in 
bed  this  morning.  He  put  his  head  on  my  pillow  also 
and  said  "  pittow."  Later  in  the  day  he  said  "  wats 
(watch)  sand  goes."  As  he  said  it  he  picked  up  some 
sand  in  a  glass  and  poured  it  in  a  basket.  I  had  just 
come  in  from  a  walk,  and  after  showing  me  the  sand 
he  turned  to  the  table  and  said  "  table." 

November  14th. — New  words  to-day  were :  "  Knock, 
Bishy";  "Sit  down,  Bishy."  He  begged  for  "crook" 
when  going  to  sleep,  thinking  of  "Bo -Peep";  also 
begged  for  my  "  hand,"  and  said  "  find,"  "  get,"  and 
"  skate,"  "  show  it,"  "  corn,"  "  beans,"  and  "  take." 

November  15th. — He  said  "sweetheart"  to-day,  pro- 
nouncing it  "  sootheart."  He  says  it  to  his  mother 
when  going  to  sleep ;  for  instance,  he  will  say,  "  mam- 
ma's sootheart,"  in  a  loving  tone.  To-day  he  said 
"play — sing"  to  his  father,  pulling  him  to  the  piano,  and 
he  laughed  as  if  pleased  when  he  sang  for  him.  He  is 
always  eager  to  hear  him  sing. 

November  16th. — He  said  "pittow"  again  to-day  for 
pillow  when  reaching  for  one.  After  breakfast  he  said 
"  Dear  papa,  good  luck,"  when  his  father  left  for  town. 
Afterwards  he  said  "Dear  papa,  good  papa"  once,  and 
the  next  time  when  he  came  to  "  good  "  he  hesitated  a 
moment,  and  then  said  "  luck,"  and  he  has  said  it  vol- 
untarily in  this  way  ever  since  when  his  father  leaves  in 


SECOND    YEAR 

the  morning.  He  always  shakes  his  head  up  and  down 
when  he  says  "  luck."  He  also  said  "  knock"  to-day  and 
"oh,  my!" 

On  November  17th  he  said  "  tummer  -  glass "  for 
tumbler. 

On  November  19th  he  said  "ladyle"  for  lady,  when 
speaking  to  Claudia,  a  visitor.  He  has  also  said  "  well, 
well"  ever  since  her  arrival,  which  is  a  frequent  expres- 
sion of  hers.  He  said  "  come  "  to  me  after  taking  his 
bottle  of  milk,  indicating  at  the  same  time  that  he  want- 
ed to  go  to  bed.  He  awakened  in  the  evening  and  said, 
on  hearing  his  father  play,  "play — papa,"  instead  of 
saying  "  papa  is  playing." 

November  20th. — His  new  words  to-day  were  "  mu- 
sic," "yard,"  "nice  boy,"  "ah,"  "ma-am,"  "say  what," 
"  what's  that."  For  some  time  he  has  said  "  nice — good 
— ah !"  when  eating  something  he  likes.  He  shakes  his 
head  when  he  does  this. 

This  morning,  when  in  the  dining-room,  I  handed  him 
a  little  cloisonne  plate  that  belonged  in  a  certain  place 
on  the  table  in  the  next  room.  As  I  handed  it  to  him 
I  said,  "  Take  it  and  put  it  where  it  belongs,"  which 
he  did  very  carefully,  and  then  returned  to  his  toys. 
He  seems  to  understand  many  more  words  than  he  says, 
and  uses  them  only  as  occasion  requires.  I  often  try 
him  in  this  way,  to  keep  him  in  the  habit  of  obeying 
cheerfully,  not  because  I  want  the  thing  done. 

November  21st. — This  morning  he  took  his  doll  and 
hugged  it,  saying  all  at  once,  "seep"  (sleep),  "eye" 
(pointing  to  the  eye),  "hand"  (taking  it  up  in  his), 
"foot"  (taking  it  up),  "ear"  (touching  it),  "mouf" 
(touching  it),  "head"  (laying  his  hand  on  its  head). 
Then  I  put  a  feather  in  its  hair,  but  he  put  it  away  and 

53 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

k 

said  "  no."  Later  on  he  put  it  in  himself.  Yesterday 
he  found  this  same  feather  among  his  toys,  and,  recog- 
nizing it  as  belonging  to  his  stuffed  owl,  he  lifted  it  up 
and  said,  in  a  very  lugubrious  tone,  "  oh — owl." 

November  22d. — He  said  "fwend"  twice  to  Claudia 
to-day.  She  often  says  to  him,  "We  are  great  friends, 
aren't  we,  Harold  ?"  He  evidently  appreciates  her  cour- 
tesy, which  she  always  shows  delightfully  to  little  chil- 
dren. 

When  he  awakes  in  the  morning  he  often  lies  still 
and  amuses  himself  by  looking  around  the  room  and 
repeating  the  names  of  all  the  things  he  knows,  as  "hut- 
ter"  (shutter)," gas,"  "door,"  "picture,"  "bed,"  "crib," 
pointing  to  each  one  as  he  says  the  word.  His  capac- 
ity for  self-amusement  when  he  has  the  right  materials 
is  increasing  every  day,  and  his  physical  development 
is  quite  normal — a  little  beyond  the  average  in  height 
and  weight. 

One  day  he  saw  a  picture  of  a  chair  tumbling,  and 
children  falling  from  it.  He  pointed  to  the  chair,  which 
stood  on  one  leg,  and  said,  "rock,  rock."  He  took 
hold  of  one  of  the  leaves  of  a  screen  soon  after,  moved 
it,  and  said,  "  Swing — go." 

November  23d. — He  said  "  papa  "  to-day  for  the  first 
time,  having  always  said  "  baba  "  before.  He  also  said 
"fix-pence"  when  he  saw  the  song  "  Sing  a  Song  a  Six- 
pence" ;  he  said  "  tar"  to  "  Twinkle,  twinkle,  little  star" ; 
"  seesaw,"  when  we  reached  "  Margery  Daw  " ;  "  Horner, 
plum-pie"  for  "Little  Jack  Horner";  and  he  often  says 
"  son"  only  for  "  Tom,  Tom,  the  Piper's  Son."  When 
in  looking  over  the  book  he  comes  to  "Eide  a  cock- 
horse to  Banbury  Cross,"  he  says,  "  Wo,  get  up ;  rings, 
fingers,  toes,  cross."  He  always  says  "girl — naughty  " 

54 


SECOND    YEAR 

for  "  Dolly,  you're  a  naughty  girl,"  as  if  that  fact  im- 
pressed him  most. 

For  "  Little  Bo  -  Peep  has  lost  her  sheep "  he  says 
"Peep,  crook,"  and  he  sings  out  "Dolly — wow- wow" 
for  "  I  had  a  little  doggy." 

He  said  "lose"  for  the  first  time  recently,  when  some 
money  was  dropped,  as  if  he  wanted  to  say  it  would 
be  lost.  Something  with  which  he  was  playing  rolled 
under  his  toys,  and  when  he  hunted  for  it  he  said 
"find."  He  also  said  "mouthful"  for  the  first  time. 
When  he  heard  a  cornet  and  chorus  singing  one  morn- 
ing from  a  mission  Sunday  -  school  near  by,  he  looked 
up  to  me  and  said,  for  the  first  time,  very  distinctly, 
"  moosic." 

He  found  a  shoe-button  among  a  lot  of  buttons  with 
which  he  was  playing,  and  he  tried  to  put  it  on  his  shoe 
where  the  buttons  are,  saying  "shoe"  as  he  did  it. 

When  later  in  the  day  he  heard  a  child  singing,  he 
looked  up  and  said  "  moosic  "  for  the  second  time.  An 
unusual  noise  outside  of  his  room  caused  him  to  stop  his 
play  and  say,  "What's  that?"  as  if  startled.  One  day 
recently  he  repeated  after  me  "  body  busy,"  when  I  said 
"  You  keep  a  body  busy." 

This  morning  he  said,  "  Bangy  boy,  Bishy  dear, 
poppee  kill  kito."  No  doubt  trying  to  show  Bridget 
how  his  father  had  killed  a  mosquito,  with  what  he 
called  a  "  bang."  At  another  time  during  the  day  he 
said  "  Well,  well !"  then,  "  Porch,  head,  hat,"  pointing 
to  my  head;  as  if  he  wanted  me  to  take  him  on  the 
porch.  This  evening  when  he  saw  the  button-box  he 
asked  for  it  twice,  saying  "  buttony."  I  said  "  No," 
and  gave  him  a  box  of  bottle-tips.  He  put  these  aside 
and  said  "  No,  buttony."  He  cried  and  stamped  a  lit- 

55 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

tie,  but  I  took  no  notice  of  it,  and  presently  he  took  his 
little  wagon  and  showed  it  to  his  nurse  as  placidly  as  if 
nothing  unusual  had  occurred.  A  few  days  ago  he  took 
up  a  small  clock  and  looked  at  me  questioningly  as  he 
did  it,  because  he  had  been  told  not  to  touch  it.  I  said 
"  No,  no ;  put  it  down."  He  did  so,  and  as  he  came  away 
he  said  " Nice  boy"  emphasizing  boy.  I  frequently  tell 
him  he  is  a  good  boy,  when  he  obeys  pleasantly.  He  is 
evidently  able  to  draw  his  own  conclusions. 

For  the  last  few  days  he  says  "  Thank  you,  mommy" 
— to  his  mother — instead  of  "  Thank  you,"  as  he  used  to. 
He  looked  at  a  picture  of  some  children  tumbling  from 
a  chair  to-day  and  said  "  fall."  He  has  learned  to  drink 
from  a  glass  without  assistance,  and  he  does  it  very  well, 
but  with  great  care.  Pie  is  accustomed  to  seeing  me 
pour  drinking-water  from  a  carafe  into  his  glass.  This 
morning  I  found  him  at  the  table  with  a  glass  before 
him  and  the  carafe  in  his  hands.  He  had  removed  a 
temporary  cover,  and  had  poured  some  water  into  his 
glass,  and  seemed  very  proud  of  the  achievement,  just 
as  in  the  instance  above,  and  he  rarely  comes  to  grief. 

November  24th. — He  said  "chappie  shobel"  when 
asking  his  father  for  the  grate  shovel  this  evening  to 
play  with  his  beloved  buttons.  He  delights  in  shovelling 
them  up  as  if  they  were  coals.  When  I  took  him  up  to- 
day from  his  nap  and  rocked  him  a  while,  he  said  to  me 
"  Rock-a-bye  baby  on  top."  He  also  said  "  Well,  well !" 
again. 

When  I  came  in  this  morning  to  see  if  he  had  finished 
his  nap,  he  said  "  wake,"  as  if  to  tell  me  that  he  was 
awake.  He  had  been  lying  there  quietly  waiting  for 
me.  He  shows  this  serenity  always  when  well.  When 
he  was  going  to  sleep  to-night  he  said,  in  his  usual  retro- 

56 


SECOND    YEAR 

spective  manner,  "  I  see  you,  poppee  ;  I  see  you,  ladyle 
(meaning  Claudia) ;  I  see  you,  gamme  (grandma) ;  I  see 
you,  Carrie ;  I  see  you,  mommy,"  etc.  Then  he  asked 
for  his  milk,  took  it,  and  said  "  nice  boy."  Before  com- 
ing up-stairs  to  go  to  bed  he  was  at  table  with  some  one 
who  amused  himself  by  saying  u  Ach,  himmel !"  to  the 
boy  and  hearing  him  repeat  it.  After  a  time  he  repeated 
it  three  times  to  himself,  just  as  he  always  does  with  new 
words,  and  it  was  amusing  to  hear  his  efforts  with  "ach," 
which  word  he  said  correctly. 

To-day  he  said  "N —  "  when  he  saw  some  poker- 
chips  for  the  first  time  since  the  summer,  at  which  time 

he  saw  them  at  the  house  of  N 's  father.  He  heard 

me  tell  his  father  this  evening  that  he  had  said  "  top  " 
to-day.  He  instantly  said  "  tree- top."  He  says  to  him- 
self sometimes  "  naughty  boy,"  as  if  he  thought  he  was 
doing,  or  being  tempted  to  do,  something  forbidden. 

November  25th. — To-day  he  said  "  all  gone  "  when  he 
reached  the  end  of  something  he  was  eating.  His  new 
words  were  "  piece  of  corn,"  "  come,  Harry,"  "  did  he  P 
"hoop!"  And  to-night  when  going  to  sleep,  he  said, 
"  I  see  you,  poppee;  I  see  you,  toys;  I  see  you, fee-fours 
(cards) ;  I  see  you,  Bahdee ;  I  see  you,  Bishy ;  I  see  you, 
goose."  It  is  very  curious  to  hear  him  go  over  the  day's 
amusements  just  before  he  falls  asleep. 

November  26th. — Twenty -one  months  old  to-day, 
when  some  one  said,  "low — high  or  low,"  he  came  run- 
ning to  my  room,  and  called  "  Lou !  Lou!"  confusing  low 
with  Lou.  He  brought  a  screw -driver  that  he  found  in 
the  sewing  machine  drawer  in  the  nursery,  and  he  did 
not  want  to  give  it  up  when  I  asked  for  it,  so  I  simply 
said,  quietly,  but  as  if  I  expected  him  to  do  it,  "  Take  it 
back,  and  put  it  where  you  found  it,"  for  we  always 

57 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

tried  to  avoid  forcing  an  issue  when  a  disposition  to  ob- 
stinacy showed  itself.  He  went  to  the  machine  at  once, 
put  the  screw-driver  in  the  drawer,  and  took  out  a  knit- 
ting-needle, but  as  he  did  it  he  looked  at  me  as  if  to  ask 
whether  he  might  take  it.  I  said  "  No,  no,"  and  he  in- 
stantly pushed  it  back,  shut  the  drawer  quickly,  and  ran 
away  just  as  if  he  didn't  trust  himself  near  temptation. 
I  have  noticed  this  trait  frequently.  (The  record  shows 
that  when  he  could  talk  and  tell  how  he  felt  under  simi- 
lar circumstances,  he  thought  it  best  to  go  away  from 
temptation.) 

Several  days  ago  he  discovered  a  door  to  a  closet  in 
a  writing-desk.  He  opened  it  and  saw  ink-bottles  on  a 
shelf  that  he  could  reach.  He  wanted  to  take  them,  but 
I  said  "  No,  no ;  shut  the  door,"  which  he  did.  This 
morning  he  opened  the  door  again,  and  his  father  feared 
he  would  take  up  the  bottles  and  spill  the  ink.  I  said, 
"I  think  not.  Just  watch  him."  So  I  said,  very  quietly, 
but  suggestively,  "  Shut  the  door,  dearie,  and  go  away." 
He  did  it  at  once,  very  much  to  his  father's  surprise, 
saying,  as  he  went,  "  Nice  boy." 

One  day  he  picked  up  from  the  desk  a  closed  box  of 
cigarettes.  As  he  held  it  he  accidentally  let  it  fall, 
and  the  cigarettes  fell  out,  thus  letting  him  see  what 
the  box  held.  He  then  took  up  another  closed  box  of 
them,  and  wanted  to  pull  the  cigarettes  out  one  by  one. 
I  said  "No,  no,  dear,"  but  he  tried  to  get  my  consent 
two  or  three  times  by  touching  them  as  he  held  the 
box,  looking  inquiringly  at  me.  Each  time  I  quietly 
said  "  No,  no,"  as  if  I  knew  he  wouldn't  do  it,  and 
the  last  time  I  said  "Put  them  on  the  desk,"  which 
he  did.  He  obeys  us  at  all  times,  but  we  must  give 
him  time  to  adjust  himself  to  what  he  is  to  do,  and 

58 


SECOND    YEAR 

we  must  speak  very  quietly,  as  if  we  expect  obedi- 
ence to  be  the  most  natural  thing  to  happen.  I  had 
a  little  trouble  to  teach  him  not  to  touch  things  in  the 
dining-room,  and  for  a  time  we  seriously  considered 
placing  things  out  of  his  reach,  but  eventually  concluded 
it  would  be  better  to  stand  some  loss  of,  valued  articles, 
if  necessary,  than  lose  an  opportunity  of  showing  him 
in  every  direction  in  his  life  that  he  must  learn  to  re- 
spect the  rights  of  others.  The  servants  and  I  therefore 
kept  following  him  up,  saying  "  No,  no "  whenever  he 
touched  anything,  and  offered  some  pleasant  diversion 
each  time  as  the  next  thing  for  him  to  do  when  we  led 
him  away.  It  was  really  very  amusing.  The  shining 
glass  and  silver  seemed  to  possess  a  great  fascination  for 
him,  and  we  frequently  found  him  standing  before  a  tea- 
set  of  highly  colored  china,  each  piece  of  which  repre- 
sented a  piece  of  fruit.  The  teapot  was  shaped  like  an 
apple,  the  handle  looked  like  the  branch.  This  piece 
seemed  to  attract  him  in  spite  of  his  evident  effort  to 
keep  away  from  it.  He  would  stand  before  it  and  touch 
the  lid  in  a  very  cautious  manner,  lift  it  up  gently,  and 
put  it  down  again,  and  then  go  away.  I  watched  him 
do  this  several  times.  Once  I  found  him  out  after  he 
had  been  there  alone,  for  later  in  the  day  I  discovered 
the  lids  interchanged.  Eventually  we  succeeded  in 
teaching  him  to  keep  from  touching  anything  that 
didn't  belong  to  him,  but  the  collisions  of  will  were 
sometimes  diverting. 

An  effort  was  always  made  to  refrain  from  speaking 
sharply  to  him,  nor  was  any  one  knowingly  allowed  to 
do  so,  consequently  he  trusted  all  who  were  about  him. 
(The  record  shows  how,  when  he  was  eight  years  old,  he 
attempted  to  conceal  some  of  his  actions  that  did  not 

59 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

meet  his  own  approval,  and  when  gently  led  to  tell  his 
reasons,  he  said,  with  a  burst  of  tears,  "  I  am  afraid  of 
them  all !"  meaning  those  who  were  about  him  at  the 
time,  and  who  noticed  and  criticised  his  actions — with 
the  natural  result  of  reaction  on  the  child.  Before  this 
he  had  usually  confided  even  his  smallest  faults  to  his 
mother,  not  fearing  her.)  His  nurse  is  very  gentle  in 
her  manner,  and  she  succeeds  wonderfully  in  diverting 
him  quickly  from  what  she  anticipates  will  be  likely  to 
give  the  little  fellow  trouble.  She  possesses  faithfulness, 
intuition,  and  quick  comprehension,  and  although  not 
an  educated  person,  she  has  many  qualities  that  are 
valuable  for  assistance  in  nursery-training.  She  is  per- 
fectly truthful,  mild  in  manner,  always  cheerful,  tidy, 
and  playful,  and  understands  perfectly  how,  and  is  will- 
ing, to  carry  out  directions  just  as  they  are  given,  which 
quality  is  absolutely  necessary  in  a  person  to  be  trusted 
with  the  care  of  children.  This  morning  she  put  him  in 
his  crib  for  his  nap,  with  an  exact  imitation  of  his 
mother's  manner  of  handling  him,  gave  him  some  milk, 
and  then  turned  to  do  something  else.  He  drank  the 
milk  and  then  turned  to  watch  her  for  a  few  minutes. 
She  paid  no  attention  to  him,  but  finished  what  she  was 
doing  and  left  the  room  quietly.  He  turned  over,  and 
no  more  was  heard  of  him  until  after  nap -time.  Had 
she  spoken  to  him  he  would  have  tried  to  keep  awake, 
as  he  often  does,  and  in  all  probability  he  would  have 
missed  his  nap.  This  plan  was  invariably  followed,  the 
mother  interchanging  with  the  nurse,  in  order  to  keep 
him  equally  accustomed  to  both.  Thus  the  mother  could 
be  given  the  freedom  required  in  the  evening  at  dinner- 
time, without  disturbing  the  child  in  the  least,  and  he 
was  as  well  satisfied  with  the  nurse,  when  sleepy,  as 

60 


SECOND  YEAR 

with  the  mother.  (It  may  mean,  self  -  sacrifice,  many 
times,  to  reach  this  end,  for  it  is  very  dear  to  any  mother 
to  feel  that  her  child  prefers  her  ministrations  to  those 
of  any  one  else,  but,  for  the  child's  sake,  this  feeling  should 
not  be  indulged  in  to  too  great  an  extent.  "When  a  nurse 
loves  her  charge,  she  should  also  have  some  of  the  hap- 
piness incidental  to  the  care  of  the  child,  and  be  able  to 
win  its  love,  that,  in  case  of  illness  of  either  child  or 
mother,  her  assistance  may  be  of  value.) 

He  said,  this  morning,  "  Mommy,  Bishy  lof,"  meaning 
he  loved  her.  He  hugged  her  as  he  said  it.  He  shows 
daily  how  much  he  loves  her.  (I  have  always  found  it 
safe  to  judge  a  nurse's  manner  during  the  absence  of 
her  mistress  by  the  evidence  of  affection  given  by  the 
child.  It  will  invariably  be  a  reflection  of  the  surround- 
ings, for  a  fearless  child  is  always  a  mirror  of  others.) 

To-day,  when  he  saw  the  illustration  of  the  fat  spider 
in  the  "  Spider  and  the  Fly  "  song  in  his  nursery-book,* 
he  said  "  Sider,  fatty,  ha-ha."  He  seems  to  enjoy  in- 
tensely anything  that  will  provoke  laughter,  and  he  is 
usually  a  merry  little  soul. 

Recently  he  took  a  number  of  things  out  of  the  draw- 
er of  the  kitchen-table,  saying  "What's  that?  What's 
that?"  to  everything  he  didn't  know,  but  said  "spoon," 
"  fork,"  "  knife,"  etc.,  to  those  he  did  know.  At  last  he 
found  an  old  steel  that  was  used  some  months  ago  to 
crack  ice.  He  remembered  this  at  once,  and  said,  when 
he  saw  it,  "  Bishy,  cack  ice." 

This  evening  he  did  not  feel  very  well,  and  he  begged 
his  mother  to  stay  by  him.  She  remained,  lying  down 
beside  him  and  holding  his  hand  while  singing  to  him. 

*  Elliott's  Mother  Goose. 
61 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

He  kept  asking  for  his  pet  songs,  one  by  one.  When  she 
thought  he  had  had  enough  to  quiet  him,  she  said  "  good- 
night," and  stopped  singing,  still  lying  quietly,  however. 
He  soon  said  to  himself,  "Mommy  seep,"  turned  over, 
and  fell  asleep. 

November  27th. — His  new  connections  of  words  to- 
day were  "  knock,  Bishy,"  and  "  piece  of  buttony  "  (for 
button).  This  afternoon  he  knelt  by  his  mother  who 
was  lying  on  a  couch,  and  said,  "Ah,  mamma's  sute- 
heart "  in  a  very  winning  way.  These  voluntary  tokens 
of  love  are  quite  usual  with  him. 

November  28th. — At  midnight  last  night,  when  rest- 
less, he  said  to  his  father,  "  Poppee  stay,  carry  boy." 

November  29th. — As. he  put  something  in  a  hole  to- 
day he  said, "  Stick  it  in."  He  constructs  sentences  very 
often  now.  When  his  nurse  came  in  he  said,  "  Carry 
boy."  He  said  to  me  to-day,  "apple — fork,"  and  showed 
them  to  me.  When  I  asked  him  where  he  got  the 
fork,  he  said,  "  tappie  (chappie) — table  " — meaning  on  a 
table  in  his  father's  room,  where  I  remembered  it  had 
been  left  last  night. 

November  30th. — To-day  the  new  words  were  "  pretty 
well,"  "  smart,"  "  shadow." 

December  1st. — New  words  were  "pull  up  sleeve,"  and 
"  wing  "  (of  a  bird). 

December  llth. — "  Come,  Bahdee  (to  his  pussy) ;  Bishy 
bring  Bahdee."  He  said  "  big  ring,  noder  one,"  to  some 
one  who  was  making  smoke  rings  for  him  when  smok- 
ing a  cigar  after  dinner.  At  one  o'clock  in  the  night 
he  waked  and  said  immediately,  "  big  ring,  noder  one," 
as  if  there  had  been  no  interval. 

He  said  to-day,  December  12th,  while  playing,  refer- 
ring to  one  of  his  nursery  songs,  "  Taffy — tief— beef— 

62 


SECOND    YEAR 

home."  He  seems  to  think  of  these  things  while  he  is 
doing  other  things. 

Said  "  o"  and  "  d  "  (from  letter-blocks)  to-day,  and  also 
said  "  lap,"  "  lappie — bangie — boy."  We  can't  find  out 
what  he  means  by  "  bangie." 

From  December  14th  to  end  of  the  month  he  has 
said  "pencil";  "gettie  pencil";  "find  more";  "ice- 
wagon  "  and  "  street  car,"  when  seeing  pictures  of  the 
same;  "Santa  Caus,"  omitting  the  "1";  "bottles,"  for 
nine-pins ;  "  pick  it  up  "  ;  "  put  it  away  " ;  "  picture  " ; 
"pipes,"  when  he  sees  any  one  smoking,  or  if  he  sees  a 
pipe  in  any  one's  mouth ;  "  letter,"  "  letter-man,"  when 
he  hears  the  door  -  bell  ring ;  "  pinage  "  for  spinach ; 
"masala"  for  celery;  "teakettle  —  coffee,"  when  he 
sees  a  picture  of  a  teakettle;  "put  it  down";  "Ger- 
mantown";  and  "my  name  is  Harold."  When  I  say 

"  You  live  at  No. ,"  he  instantly  says  the  name  of 

the  street.  He  speaks  of  me  as  Mrs.  H ,  and  uses 

my  name  correctly.  We  always  teach  him  any  change 
of  address  by  direct  teaching,  that  he  may,  if  lost,  tell 
where  he  belongs,  and  we  have  always  impressed  upon 
him  the  fact  that  all  policemen  are  his  friends  and  are 
meant  to  help  people,  especially  when  they  get  lost.  I 
often  hear  him  try  to  persuade  a  little  friend  who  is 
afraid  of  policemen  to  like  them. 

To-day  he  said, "  Tom,  Tom,  saw  pig  run,  eat  beat  how- 
ling steet"  for  (street).  He  was  evidently  thinking  of 

"Tom,  Tom,  the  piper's  son, 
Stole  a  pig  and  away  he  run,"  etc. 

Other  words  that  are  new  are  "  hello,"  "  hello,  dear," 
"  gamme  boy,"  "  screw,"  "  Bahdee  scatch  "  (when  pussy 
scratches),  "  ach  himmel,"  "  gesundheit."  He  still  says 

63 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

for  sneeze;  "down-tairs,  Bishy ";  says  "bot- 
tle— seepy,"  when  bedtime  conies ;  "  get  a  coach,"  when 
he  wants  to  go  out-of-doors;  "gamma — choo-choo,"  in- 
timating that  he  wants  to  go  to  gamma's  (grandma)  on 
the  choo-choo.  He  remembers  that  he  went  on  the  train 
some  months  ago  on  a  visit  to  her. 

January  14th,  1892.— To-day  he  said  "  Happy  New- 
year  "  three  times  when  looking  at  a  holiday-book.  He 
then  turned  to  his  mother,  kissed  and  hugged  her,  and 
said  "  lufly  mamma." 

He  says  "  Santa  Glaus  "  now,  pronouncing  the  "1."  He 
takes  his  Santa-Glaus  book  and  explains  all  the  pictures — 
as,  for  instance,  when  he  reaches  the  one  where  Santa 
is  sitting  reading  the  names  of  children,  with  pen  and  ink 
on  the  desk  before  him,  he  says,  "  Santa  Glaus  reading, 
desk,  gif  me  pencil,"  holding  out  his  hand  to  the  picture. 
He  often  asks  for  "pencil — write"  (pencil  to  write), 
and  makes  an  O.  He  calls  a  big  O  a  "  fatty  O."  He 
knows  W,  X,  II,  I,  O,  Q  of  his  block-alphabet,  and  he 
says  X,  Y,  Z  from  repetition,  but  does  not  know  them, 
when  he  sees  them. 

He  saw  sleighs  to-day  for  the  first  time.  He  heard 
his  nurse  say  "  sleigh  "  in  the  morning,  and  when  out  in 
his  coach  later  in  the  day  he  said  "  sleigh,  noder  one," 
as  they  passed  him.  Since  the  above  date  he  has  picked 
out  pictures  of  sleighs  in  his  books,  saying  "sleigh,  noder 
one,"  whenever  he  finds  one. 

January  15th. — His  new  words  to-day  were  "here  'tis," 
"  kitchen — outside,"  "  missee  morning  "  (for  misty  morn- 
ing), "how  do,  sir?"  "shut  ee  eyes."  When  he  stum- 
bled he  said  "  fall." 

January  18th. — Last  night,  after  he  had  waked  and 
taken  his  last  bottle  of  milk,  he  said,  "  Mommy's  pwe- 

64 


SECOND    YEAR 

cious  boy,"  rolled  over,  and  fell  asleep.  He  is  at  his 
grandma's.  He  took  her  hand  to-day,  and  pulled  her 
into  the  next  room,  saying,  "hand  —  gamme's  hand." 
Last  evening,  as  he  was  finishing  his  six-o'clock  meal  of 
milk,  he  discovered  letters  on  the  bottle  when  he  held 
it  up  between  his  eyes  and  the  gaslight.  One  of  the 
words  had  two  o's  in  it.  He  pointed  to  one  and  said 
"o,"  then  pointed  to  the  next  and  said  "noder  one," 
then  cried  out  in  delight,  "dubble  u,"  meaning  ,"w." 
He  said  it  as  if  he  was  very  much  surprised.  He  then 
found  D,  S,  K,  and  I,  and  repeated  them  over  and  over, 
as  if  glad  to  see  them,  first  of  all,  however,  pointing  out 
each  one  to  me  with  his  little  finger.  As  I  am  writing 
this  he  is  in  the  kitchen,  and  I  hear  him  at  the  knife- 
drawer  saying  "fee — fee  knife,"  meaning  three.  He 
always  says  "fee — fee"  when  he  means  to  say  there 
are  more  than  one.  He  often  counts  correctly  from  one 
to  fourteen.  I  can  hear  him  now  as  he  is  going  around 
the  rooms  exploring,  saying  "  window,  parlor  window," 
and  no  doubt  he  has  met  a  rocking-chair,  for  I  hear  him 
say  "  rock-a-bye,  rock." 

"When  he  reached  the  station  he  met  his  cousin  and 
called  him  by  name,  although  he  had  not  seen  him  for 
four  months.  Later  he  said  "  gamme  "  when  he  met  her, 
knew  his  cousin's  father  at  once,  calling  him  by  his  first 
name  as  he  hears  others  do.  After  a  little  investigation 
he  said  "  Carrie  "  to  one  member  of  the  family,  and  after 
quite  a  while  he  said  "  Alus,"  for  Alice,  to  another.  He 
said  "  fraid  dat,"  pointing  to  a  rolling-top  writing-desk. 
(Here  following  out  indications  given  before  of  being 
afraid  of  some  things  that  work  with  a  motive  power 
that  is  to  him  incomprehensible.) 

The  plumbers  were  at  work  in  the  kitchen  this  morn- 
E  65 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

ing.  He  heard  the  puffing  of  the  Bunsen  burner  when 
he  awakened  from  his  nap,  and  said,  "  See  ee  choo-choo 
in  ee  kitchen,"  and  could  hardly  wait  to  get  there.  He 
amused  himself  for  a  time  to-day  by  pushing  his  coach 
around  the  room,  but  first  he  moved  two  chairs  very 
carefully  out  of  his  way  in  order  to  have  the  entire 
length  of  the  room  open  for  the  coach. 

When  he  was  asked  if  he  wanted  a  piece  of  bread,  he 
said  "  Yes,"  and  voluntarily  went  to  the  pantry,  opened 
the  door  and  bread-can,  took  out  a  loaf,  and  brought  it 
to  the  person  who  asked  him,  who  cut  a  piece  from  it, 
and  returned  the  loaf  to  him  without  a  word.  He  re- 
turned it  to  the  can,  closed  both  it  and  the  door,  and 
returned,  when  he  was  given  his  piece  of  bread. 

January  19th. — To-day  he  heard  something  fall  with 
a  loud  noise.  He  said,  "  Break  ee  house  down."  Two 
new  sentences  were:  "Pull  down  ee  sleeve,  mommy," 
meaning  his  own ;  and  "  Please,  Carrie,  take  out  ee 
key."  When  he  awoke  this  morning  he  said,  "  Kitch- 
en, gamme,"  meaning  he  wanted  to  go  there,  where  he 
was  allowed  perfect  freedom  every  morning. 

He  uses  all  sorts  of  expedients  to  get  his  mother  up 
mornings  as  soon  as  he  wakes.  Says,  "  Get  up,  mom- 
my— dess,  dess  Harold,  mommy";  "want  ee  dink"; 
"  mommy  up,  kitchen ";  "  see  gamme ";  and  then  he 
calls  "  Carrie,  come,"  as  loud  as  he  can,  for  she  generally 
comes  in  at  this  time  and  romps  with  and  dresses  him. 
When  at  last  his  mother  does  get  up  and  dress,  he  sits 
contentedly  awaiting  his  turn.  He  sa}rs,  trying  to  do 
it  at  the  same  time,  "  Put  ee  shoes  on,  Harold — put  ee 
shoes  on."  Then  he  says  "  petticoats,"  when  they  are 
put  on ;  "Put  on  dess"  next;  then,  "Brush  ee  teeth," 
"  Brush  ee  hair,"  "Wash  ee  mouth,"  and  at  last  he  turns 

66 


SECOND    YEAR 

up  his  face  for  a  kiss,  saying  "  Clean  enough  ?"  He  takes 
the  greatest  interest  in  every  little  thing  relating  to  the 
care  given  him. 

January  20th. — To-day  he  wanted  to  take  the  dust- 
pan to  bed  with  him  when  he  took  his  nap.  I  took  it 
away,  saying  "  No,  no."  He  kicked  and  screamed,  but 
I  took  no  notice  of  it.  At  last  he  said,  "  Too  bad ; 
shame  !" — repeated  it  several  times,  then  took  my  hand 
and  fell  asleep  quietly,  with  only  one  more  cry  for  the 
dust -pan,  following  it  immediately  with  "Too  bad; 
shame !" 

January  21st. — To-day  he  said,  "Dance  a  baby  diddy" 
(from  nursery  song) ;  also  said  "spider,"  when  he  saw  the 
inside  of  a  big  clock  ;  and  then  he  said  "  Fatty  clock,  see 
clock  ticking."  No  doubt  he  associated  the  big  clock 
with  the  big  spider  he  called  "  fatty  spider"  in  the  nurs- 
ery song-book,  for  he  calls  a  big  O  a  fatty  O. 

January  22d. — To-day  he  picked  up  a  tin  bread -can 
that  was  standing  on  the  pantry  floor,  carried  it  about, 
and  suddenly  began  to  turn  his  hand  around,  as  if  turn- 
ing a  handle,  and  say  "  musilay,"  meaning  music,  and  that 
he  was  imitating  a  hand-organ. 

January  23d. — We  came  to  town  for  the  winter  a 
few  days  ago.  Harold  and  his  nurse  came  in  on  a  later 
train.  Ever  since  he  has  said,  repeatedly,  "  Sarah,  take 
Harold  lufly  choo-choo";  "bell  ring,  choo-choo";  and 
every  time  he  sees  a  possible  chance  of  going  out  he 
says,  "  See  a  choo-choo  3"  He  was  given  a  very  com- 
plete toy  locomotive  last  month,  because  he  has  shown 
such  great  interest  in  engines  of  all  sorts.  He  instantly 
detected  various  differences  between  his  engines  and 
those  he  saw  about  him  in  his  daily  walks,  and  he  did 
not  hesitate  to  mention  them.  He  asked  questions  about 

67 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

every  part  he  observed  after  this,  wanting  to  know  the 
names  of  all  of  them.  In  a  very  short  time  he  was  heard 
saying  to  his  nurse,  "  This  is  a  piston-rod,"  or  "  This  is 
a  cylinder,"  or  "  This  is  an  eccentric,"  etc.  He  was  told 
each  name  once  only  in  answer  to  his  questions. 

He  was  taught,  in  Germantown,  when  asked  where  he 
lived,  to  give  his  name  and  his  street-number.  Last  even- 
ing we  began  to  teach  him  his  new  address,  his  name, 
and  street  in  Philadelphia,  and  he  repeated  it  several 
times.  This  evening  we  asked  him  where  he  lived  and 
what  was  his  name.  He  said,  "Harold — Gimmintown," 
and  then,  as  if  a  new  idea  had  struck  him,  he  said  in 
one  sentence,  "Fil  a  duffia,  Locust  Street  —  choo-choo-— 
Filaduffia." 

A  few  days  ago  he  began  saying  "Use  Pears'  soap," 
instead  of  just  "  Pears'  soap,"  as  before.  We  often  ask 
him,  for  fun,  "  Have  you  used  Pears'  soap?" 

To-night  he  said,  "Papa,  play — play  'Annie  Rooney.'" 
He  speaks  very  distinctly  for  so  young  a  child. 

January  24th. — To-day,  when  playing  with  his  toys, 
he  voluntarily  counted  one,  two,  three,  four,  five,  six, 
seven,  eight. 

Later  in  the  day,  when  taking  off  my  street  shoes,  I 
asked  him  to  please  bring  my  shoes,  without  specifying 
which  pair  he  should  bring.  He  went  to  my  closet  and 
selected  a  pair  of  low  russet  shoes  that  I  frequently  wear 
when  at  home.  He  certainly  observes  much  that  one 
ordinarily  considers  unnoticed  by  a  child. 

This  morning  when  I  came  into  his  room  before  he 
was  out  of  bed,  I  found  him  playing  with  a  toy  "  choo- 
choo"  that  could  be  wound  up  to  run.  He  had  no 
string  with  which  to  wind  it  up,  and  he  evidently 
wanted  one,  for  he  had  untied  the  ribbon  at  the  neck 

68 


SECOND    YEAR 

of  his  night-gown,  and  was  trying  to  wind  it  up  with 
that. 

He  has  begun  to  say  a  few  French  words :  "  bon  soir, 
bon  nuit,"  from  imitation,  but  he  knows  what  they 
mean,  and  his  pronunciation  is  very  good. 

January  25th. — To-day  he  begged  me  to  "  carry  down 
cellar  to  kitchen  to  Annie,"  meaning  the  colored  janitress 
in  the  basement.  She  has  a  bird  with  which  he  is  de- 
lighted, and  which  he  evidently  wanted  to  see.  He 
often  asks  for  something  that  we  find  later  on  brings 
him  something  else  that  he  wants  but  doesn't  ask  for. 
It  seems  hardly  probable  that  he  does  it  designedly,  yet 
it  is  a  curious  coincidence  at  times. 

January  26th. — To-day  we  were  out  walking.  As  we 
neared  Broad  Street  the  wind  blew  hard,  directly  in  his 
face.  I  said,  "  Turn  around,  Harold,  and  walk  back- 
ward." He  did  it  at  once,  much  to  the  amusement  of 
some  passers-by,  who  stood  still  and  watched  him.  He 
seems  to  comprehend  very  quickly  that  I  have  a  good 
reason  for  asking  him  to  do  certain  things,  and  even  if 
they  may  appear  a  little  unusual  at  the  time  to  another, 
to  him  they  seem  to  appear  to  be  natural. 

January  29th. — To-day  he  said  to  his  nurse  (who  is 
not  the  one  to  whom  he  has  been  accustomed,  but  an 
old  colored  mammy),  "  Good-bye,  honey."  Other  sen- 
tences were,  "  Mannie  sit  down,  show  ee  schlissel  book ;" 
" See ee mannie ;"  "Mommy,  good  boy;"  "Harold  - 
good  boy"  (saying  his  whole  name);  "Carry,  Bishy,  (to) 
lovely  choo-choo."  He  said  "Geen  choo-choo"  to-day, 
saying  "geen"  for  green — the  first  time  for  this  word. 
He  was  hunting  a  little  green  engine  at  the  time  and 
couldn't  find  it.  Other  sentences  were,  "  Where's  ee 
drum  ?"  "  See  ee  musee-man,  winnow." 

69 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

January  30th. — To -day,  when  in  the  bath-room,  he 
said,  "  Baf  pitty  soon,"  no  doubt  anticipating  his  even- 
ing bath.  As  we  passed  the  bath-room  door  he  said, 
"  Baf-yoom ;  wash  ee  hands."  He  also  said,  "  Fraid  ee 

doctor,"  when  he  saw  Dr. ,  who  lives  next  door. 

He  said  it  at  intervals  all  day.  (The  record  shows  that 
he  never  learned  to  like  the  physician  mentioned,  cried 
when  he  approached,  and  could  not  be  induced  to  even 
talk  to  him.  He  was  a  very  stern  man,  and  cruel  to 
children,  as  later  developments  proved.  A  curious  thing 
about  the  child  shows  clearly  all  through  the  record 
that  he  knew  instantly  when  meeting  persons  whether 
they  liked  him  or  not.  Servants  could  not  be  kept  with 
comfort  to  the  little  fellow  when  he  had  shown  that  he 
thought  they  didn't  like  him,  and  it  was  always  found 
advisable  when  engaging  a  servant  in  any  capacity  to 
first  have  him  see  the  person,  and  watch  his  manner 
before  engaging  them.  In  this  way  some  exceptionally 
faithful  servants  were  secured.  His  usual  expression  in 
this  connection,  as  he  grew  older,  was  either  "  I  don't 
like  her  face,"  or  "  Has  she  a  smiling  face  ?"  One  day 
in  a  store  he  begged  me  to  ask  a  certain  cash-girl,  with 
"  such  a  lovely  face,"  to  come  home  to  him.  (His  own 
words.)  He  couldn't  understand  at  first  why  I  couldn't 
do  it,  for  it  was  his  mother's  habit  at  the  time  to  regu- 
larly engage  a  child  to  play  with  him  daily,  to  keep 
him  from  becoming  selfish — a  fault  easily  acquired  by 
an  only  child. 

To-day  some  one  spoke  very  suddenly  to  him  when 
he  was  playing,  to  check  him  instantly  in  something  he 
was  just  beginning  to  do.  He  looked  up  with  a  start 
and  said,  "  scairt." 

January  31st. — He  still  says  his  name  instead  of  say- 

70 


SECOND    YEAR 

ing  I,  when  speaking  of  his  own  actions.  He  said  to 
himself  to-day,  as  if  trying  to  recall  something,  "  What 
name  ? — Harold — in  Gimmintown." 

When  out  walking  the  other  day  we  passed  some  bill- 
boards on  Broad  Street  that  were  covered  with  pictures 
of  engines.  He  was  delighted  with  them,  went  up  to 
them,  touched  them,  and  admired  them  to  his  heart's 
content.  He  didn't  want  to  leave  them,  but  I  induced 
him  to  come  on  to  something  else  that  appeared  to  at- 
tract him.  He  kept  on  talking  about  them,  however, 
after  we  had  left  them,  and  to-day,  when  I  took  him  out 
on  the  balcony  for  an  airing,  he  objected  at  first  and 
said,  "Out  choo-choo  fence."  This  is  the  first  time  I 
have  heard  him  say  "  fence." 

His  new  words  to-day  were  "  cellar,"  "  kitchen,"  "  Ba- 
vinia"  (for  Lavinia — a  servant  down-stairs),  "clothes- 
pins"; and  this  afternoon,  when  his  mother  attempted 
to  feed  him  some  ice-cream,  he  said,  "Mommy  way, 
George  feed."  (George  was  a  servant.) 

February  1st. — He  used  I  for  the  first  time  to-day. 
He  is  almost  two  years  old.  He  said,  "  I  use  Pears' 
soap";  "I  see  choo-choo  out."  Then  he  said,  "Hug 
mamma,  oh,"  squeezing  her  hard  as  he  said  it.  He  also 
said  "  I  want  you,  baby,"  in  his  play  to-day. 

February  3d. — He  began  making  funny  faces  a  few 
weeks  ago  when  he  said,  "  Hoop  a  loop,  who's  in  the 
soup  ?"  JSTow  he  makes  the  faces  at  me  and  laughs.  He 
often  looks  laughingly  at  me  and  winks  one  eye.  He  is 
always  very  jolly.  This  morning  he  begged  me  to  "  go 
out  and  see  man  carry  leg."  I  couldn't  think  what  he 
meant,  but  discovered  later  that  he  had  seen  a  man  on  a 
crutch  yesterday,  and  was  very  much  interested. 

He  now  uses  a  great  many  words  very  intelligently — 

71 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

as,  for  instance,  when  he  says  the  words,  "  coming," 
"  won't  come,"  "  here  it  goes,"  "  here  it  is."  There  is 
always  an  intelligent  application.  To-day  he  found  a 
doll  that  he  calls  u  Tommy  "  lying  in  a  box  of  toys 
and  covered  with  a  cushion.  He  said  at  once,  in  what 
seemed  to  be  a  tone  of  reproof,  "  Tommy  seep  all  day 
in  box." 

This  morning  he  said, " Poppee,  get  up— eight  o'clock;" 
and  at  breakfast  he  turned  to  his  father  and  said,  "  Papa, 
shame !"  We  couldn't  find  out  what  he  meant,  but  he 
very  often  says,  "  Too  bad,  shame!"  when  anything  goes 
wrong.  I  recognize  the  words  as  used  occasionally  by 
his  nurse,  from  whom  he  has  no  doubt  learned  them. 

Late  this  evening,  when  he  woke  for  his  milk,  he  said, 
"  Too  early,"  evidently  meaning  it  was  not  time  to  get 
up,  for  I  sometimes  say  the  same  words  to  him,  if  by 
chance  he  wakes  in  the  morning  before  daylight.  It  is 
probable  that  his  first  thought  on  waking  was  that  it 
was  time  to  get  up — and  seeing  it  was  yet  dark,  he  con- 
cluded it  was  "  too  early." 

February  4th. — He  said  to-day,  "  I  love  ee  choo-choo," 
while  he  was  hunting  in  Puck  for  a  picture  of  one — 
which  he  found  eventually,  having  seen  it  there  before. 

He  was  given  recently  a  book  containing  pictures  of 
various  kinds  of  locomotives.  At  first  his  comments  were 
not  noticed,  but  gradually  we  became  impressed  with  the 
fact  that  he  was  saying,  as  he  turned  from  one  page  to 
the  other,  "This  one  hasn't  any  bell"  ;  "  This  one  has  a 
bell";  "This  one  hasn't  any  cow-catcher"  (it  was  an 
English  engine) ;  "  This  one  hasn't  any  bell " — noticing 
the  differences  right  through  the  book  between  the 
American  and  the  English  engines  pictured  there.  At 
last  he  closed  the  book,  turned  to  his  mother,  and  said, 


SECOND    YEAR 

"'  Mamma,  I  want  an  engine  without  any  book."     He 
wanted  the  object  instead  of  the  picture. 

February  5th. — He  put  a  ribbon  round  his  neck  and 
said  "  necktie  "  to-day.  He  is  constantly  acquiring  new 
words,  with  no  teaching  whatever.  For  about  two  weeks 
he  has  said,  "  Show  me  book,"  show  me  this,  or  that,  as 
the  case  may  be,  instead  of  saying,  as  before,  "  book," 
etc.  This  morning  he  called  to  his  father,  "  Poppee  put 
on  clothes — poppee,  please  put  on  clothes."  (The  record 
shows  that  he  was  always  eager  to  be  up  himself.,  and  get 
every  one  else  up,  and  later  on  he  wished  a  number  of 
times  that  there  wouldn't  be  any  night,  because  the  days 
were  not  nearly  long  enough  for  what  he  wanted  to  do.) 

To-day  I  brought  his  coat  and  cap,  and  prepared  to 
take  him  out.  He  ran  away  from  me.  I  asked  him  if 
he  wanted  to  go.  Pie  said  "No,"  went  to  the  sewing- 
machine,  and  said,  "  Want  to  see  machine  go."  He  had 
not  seen  it  open  for  several  weeks.  He  shows  indica- 
tions now  of  preferring  in-door  play,  which  we  are  trying 
to  counteract  by  finding  inducements  to  keep  him  in  the 
open,  air  a  certain  portion  of  the  day. 

February  6th. — This  evening  he  was  playing  with  his 
father  when  his  bedtime  came.  He  said,  pleadingly,  to 
his  mother,  who  came  to  take  him  to  bed,  "  Mommy,  go 
away,"  but  he  said  it  as  if  he  did  not  expect  it,  and  went 
with  very  good  grace,  as  he  always  does  when  accept- 
ing the  inevitable.  We  always  give  him  a  little  time  to 
get  over  the  disappointment  of  a  refusal  before  exacting 
obedience. 

Last  night  he  wanted  his  bottle  of  milk,  to  which  he 
has  been  accustomed,  but  which  for  the  last  few  nights 
we  have  withheld.  He  cried  a  little,  saying  "  What's 
the  matter  ?"  rolled  over,  and  fell  asleep. 

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A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

He  said  "  I  think  so  "  to-day,  when  answering  a  ques- 
tion. 

February  7th. — To-day  he  said,  "Mommy,  get  the 
bottle  ready  " ;  "  won't  come  "  (meaning  the  milk  won't 
come.  There  was  good  reason  for  this,  for  the  bottle 
was  empty,  he  had  taken  it  all).  He  then  said,  "  Never 
mind,"  and  went  about  his  play.  He  always  seems  to 
accept  the  inevitable  in  a  cheerful  manner.  When  his 
father  came  in  to-day,  Harold  said  to  him,  in  an  effort 
to  induce  him  to  play  with  him,  "  Poppee,  make  chains 
(of  paper  rings,  with  which  he  and  the  nurse  often 
amuse  themselves) ;  poppee,  sit  down  floor,  cushion, 
make  big  dubble-u  (W) ;  poppee  make  big  X." 

February  8th. — I  heard  him  say  to  himself  to-day, 
"  Cry  it  out.  Behave  yourself."  He  has  often  heard 
me  tell  him  to  "  cry  it  out  on  my  lap,"  when  he  is 
grieved,  and  he  must  have  heard  some  one  tell  him 
to  behave  himself,  and  he  put  the  two  together  to-day 
when  he  thought  he  needed  the  admonition. 

He  also  said  to  one  of  us  this  morning,  "  Poppee  use 
Pears'  soap  ?  hear  dat."  These  little  sentences  pop  out 
at  us  at  all  sorts  of  unexpected  times,  and  they  amuse 
us  very  much. 

When  going  to  New  York  this  week  he  said  on  the 
train,  "  Choo-choo,  lovely  choo-choo.  I  love  choo-choo." 

February  9th. — Yesterday  for  the  first  time  he  said 
"  you "  instead  of  saying  "  mommy,"  as  usual  when 
speaking  to  her.  He  said  "  Mannie  talk  to  you,"  in- 
stead of  saying,  as  he  did  formerly,  "  Mannie  talk  to 
mamma."  Sometimes  he  calls  himself  "  mannie,"  some- 
times "  man." 

February  10th. — As  his  mother  was  taking  off  her 
street  dress  to-day  he  pulled  her  to  the  closet  and  said, 

74 


SECOND    YEAR 

"  Put  ee  dess  on."  When  she  puts  an  apron  on  he  al- 
ways objects,  and  begs  her  to  "  take  off  apron."  About 
a  month  ago  he  cried  because  she  put  a  jacket  on  over 
her  house  dress  on  a  cold  morning.  He  said,  "  Take  ee 
sacque  off,  mamma,"  and  persisted  in  it.  He  must  have 
some  idea  for  this,  but  I  have  not  found  out  yet  what 
it  is. 

We  are  still  in  New  York  ;  arrived  yesterday,  and  the 
long  trip  must  have  tired  the  little  fellow,  for  he  said  on 
his  arrival,  "  I'm  so  glad  to  go  to  bed."  When  half-way 
over  he  said  on  the  train,  "  Express-man  take  away  trunk 
to-day,"  and  when,  on  our  return,  he  saw  it  brought 
back,  he  said,  "  Express-man  bring  ee  trunk." 

To-day  when  sitting  on  a  bed  he  intimated  that  he 
had  disturbed  it.  I  said  "  Oh  no."  He  said  "  Yes,  nice 
boy  ?"  (interrogatively).  I  said  "  No."  He  said  "  Nice 
boy,  I  sink  (think)  so."  (The  record  shows  how  he  of- 
,ten  said,  when  a  question  of  opinion  would  arise,  "I 
think  so,"  as  if  that  settled  it  in  his  mind.  Such  a  char- 
acteristic, if  properly  guided,  should  develop  into  a  sturdy 
self-respect  and  strength  of  individual  opinion,  without 
in  the  least  encroaching  upon  or  antagonizing  the  opin- 
ions of  others.) 


CHAPTER  III 

THIRD  YEAR.    LANGUAGE  AND  OTHER  INCIDENTAL 
DEVELOPMENT  CONTINUED 

FEBRUARY  15th  (at  home). — Harold  is  two  years  old. 
He  just  said  "  See  ee  Lollie  (meaning  Mollie)  sew  dess, 
nice  dess."  She  made  a  dress  for  him  some  time  ago 
that  pleased  him  very  much  and  which  he  seems  to 
prize  very  highly.  He  begged  me  to-day  to  "take 
down-tairs  see  big  clock  tick -tick."  He  saw  one  in 
New  York,  and  is  confused  about  it,  for  there  is  no 
"  big  clock"  here.  He  called  "  Delia"  several  times  to- 
day (a  house-maid  he  saw  in  New  York),  and  he  also 
called  for  his  aunt,  as  if  he  could  not  quite  reconcile 
himself  to  the  fact  that  he  was  no  longer  there.  On  the 
way  home  he  saw  a  lady  on  the  train  who  resembled 
his  aunt's  mother  and  he  called  her  "  grandma  "  several 
times.  For  many  days  he  has  asked  questions  about 
how  there  could  be  another  grandma,  for  hitherto  he 
has  only  known  of  his  maternal  grandmother,  and  he 
could  not  understand  for  a  long  time  that  his  aunt's 
mother  was  his  cousin's  grandma  and  not  his.  He  is  al- 
ways very  friendly  with  strangers  when  travelling,  and 
appears  to  fear  no  one  when  their  faces  please  him.  He 
invariably  smiles  or  speaks  to  some  stranger  when  out- 
of-doors  or  when  travelling.  He  said  this  morning, 
"  See  ee  Lollie  take  ee  coffee  next  yoom."  He  had  seen 

76 


' 

UNIYEBS: 
THIRD    YEAR 

his  aunt  have  coffee  in  the  room  next  to  his  when  he 
was  in  New  York,  and  he  evidently  thinks  he  is  still 
within  reach  of  her. 

February  16th. — When  he  saw  a  picture  of  a  coffee- 
mill  to-day  in  his  "schliissel  book,"  he  said  "ganma." 
He  had  seen  one  for  the  first  time  at  his  Grandma 

S 's.  He  sometimes  says  "ganm0,"  and  at  other 

times  "gamma."  When  he  said  "ganme"  to  the  cof- 
fee-mill, I  asked  "  Is  it  Ganme  H ?"  alluding  to  his 

cousin's  grandma. 

He  repeated  her  name  and  looked  doubtful,  then  said 
again,  "  Ganme,  ganme  put  ee  coffee  in."  I  then  said 

"Ganme  S ?"  questioningly.  He  looked  relieved 

and  repeated  it.  He  is  evidently  still  puzzled  over  hear- 
ing of  two  grandmas.  His  maternal  grandmother  only 
is  living,  and  until  he  heard  his  cousins  speak  of  their 
grandmother  he  had  heard  of  one  grandmother  only. 
(He  was  very  curious,  when  a  little  older,  about  the  de- 
grees of  relationship  in  one  family,  and  I  had  many 
questions  to  answer.) 

Yesterday  he  said,  "See  a  Mary  go — winnow — da- 
da,"  shaking  his  hand  to  her  from  the  window  as  she 
went  away. 

After  having  had  a  crying -spell  to-day  he  said 
"  Shamed  himself." 

February  17th. — To-day,  when  he  saw  a  man  from 
the  window,  he  said  "Uncle  Hed"  (meaning  Ed).  I 
looked  out  and  saw  a  man  resembling  his  uncle  very 
greatly. 

Yesterday  I  took  him  to  see  Dr.  A .  He  had  not 

been  there  for  two  months.  When  we  reached  the 
street  door  of  the  physician's  house  his  face  changed, 
and  he  said,  crying,  "  Harold  fraid,  hurts  me."  He  kept 

77 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

repeating  "  f  raid,  hurts  "  all  the  time  he  was  there,  and 
cried  until  he  reached  the  street  again,  when  he  in- 
stantly became  serene.  About  thirteen  months  before 
this  date  this  physician  lanced  his  gums,  and  ten  months 
ago  he  vaccinated  him.  He  remembers  one  or  the  other 
occasion,  probably  both. 

February  18th. — To-day  I  showed  him  an  illustration 
with  the  song  "  Twinkle,  twinkle,  little  star."  He  in- 
stantly said  "  Dr.  Tar,"  meaning  Dr.  Starr. 

This  morning  he  said  to  his  father,  "  Good-morning, 
glad  to  see  you."  He  said  to  me  yesterday,  immediately 
after  his  nap,  "  Feel  tired,  rock  a  bit,"  and  snuggled  up 
in  my  arms  and  let  me  rock  him.  He  is  not  very  well 
to-day.  This  may  have  had  something  to  do  with  his 
desire  to  be  rocked  }^esterday,  for  he  rarely  asks  for  it. 

He  has  always  shown  a  great  willingness  to  put  away 
my  shoes.  I  never  thought  of  it  before,  but  I  remem- 
ber now  that  he  is  always  ready  to  put  away  my  street 
shoes  and  to  get  my  house  shoes.  I  have  concluded 
this  is  because  he  knows  I  will  stay  at  home  when  I 
wear  the  latter,  for  to-day  he  refused  to  put  away  my 
house  shoes  when  he  saw  me  put  on  my  street  shoes. 
When  I  came  home  he  called  me  at  once  to  the  closet 
and  pointed  to  my  house  shoes.  I  took  them  out  and 
placed  them  by  the  couch,  then  turned  to  do  something 
else,  forgetting  to  put  them  on.  He  took  me  by  the 
hand,  led  me  to  the  couch,  and  said,  "  Sit  ee  down  bed, 
put  ee  on  shoes,"  as  if  afraid  I  would  go  out  again.  I 
did  so,  and  before  I  had  said  a  word  he  took  away  my 
street  shoes  and  put  them  in  the  closet.  He  has  evi- 
dently reasoned  out  for  himself  that  when  I  wear  street 
shoes  I  am  likely  to  go  away  from  him. 

February  19th. — This  morning  when  he  awoke  he 

78 


THIRD    YEAR 

said  immediately  to  me,  "  Wait  for  poppee  last  night." 
So  he  had.  It  seems  to  be  his  greatest  pleasure.  To- 
night, when  ready  for  bed,  and  after  having  taken  near- 
ly all  of  his  milk,  he  handed  me  the  bottle  and  said, 
very  insinuatingly, "  Put  away  ee  bottle,  see  ee  poppee." 
I  paid  no  attention  to  this,  so  he  went  to  sleep.  Last 
evening  when  he  began  taking  the  milk,  he  said,  "  Put 
in  hot  water."  I  thought  the  milk  wasn't  warm  enough, 
probably,  and  was  about  to  do  as  he  asked  when  he  sat 
up  and  said, "  See  ee  poppee."  I  knew  then  that  he  was 
trying  to  get  me  to  let  him  wait  for  his  father,  so  I 
gave  him  the  bottle,  told  him  quietly  to  take  it  and  go 
to  sleep,  as  if  I  expected  obedience,  and  he  did  it  con- 
tentedly. 

February  20th. — He  said  this  morning  when  his  father 
left  for  town  "  Fraid  ee  papa  take  ee  choo-choo  go  to 

see  Aunt  M ."  This  evening,  when  his  mother  was 

lying  by  him  as  he  went  to  sleep,  he  said, "  Get  up,  mom- 
my, too  busy."  I  suppose  he  remembers  hearing  her 
say  at  some  time  that  she  was  too  busy  to  lie  down  by 
him  while  he  took  his  nap,  for  he  often  asks  her  to  do  so. 

February  21st. — To-day  he  wanted  to  go  out  and,  as 
he  said,  to  "  see  a  mannie  frow  a  bricks  away." 

Two  weeks  ago  he  said,  "  Go  ee  out  see  ee  choo- 
choos  on  ee  fence."  This  morning  he  said,  as  he  put  a 
picture  of  an  engine  on  a  chair  before  him,  "  Sit  on  ee 
chair,  talk  to  choo-choo."  He  also  said,  to-day,  "  Tell 
me  what's  it."  He  says,  at  times,  "  Mommy  like  ee  boy 
squeal,"  when  he  makes  the  noise  he  calls  "  squeal." 

He  loves  to  hear  his  father  play  the  violin.  He  said 
to  him  this  evening,  "  Poppee  play  ee  violin — please  pop- 
pee  play  ee  violin."  When  his  father  took  the  instru- 
ment out  of  the  case  and  began,  he  said,  "  Shut  ee  box, 

79 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

poppee,"  reached  out  and  shut  it  with  a  bang,  saying, 
"  Harold  shut  ee  box,"  as  if  glad  it  was  shut.  It  looked 
very  much  as  if  he  were  afraid  his  father  would  put  the 
violin  away  too  soon. 

February  22d. — He  said  to-day,  "  This  is  a  knuckle," 
closing  his  hand  and  pointing  to  the  knuckle.  Two 
days  ago  he  pointed  to  a  knuckle  on  his  father's  hand 
and  said,  "What's  dat?"  He  was  told  it  was  a  knuckle, 
when  he  promptly  made  a  fist  and  pointed  to  his  own. 

He  asked  me  to  go  down-stairs,  saying,  "  Carry  Har- 
old down  to  Bavinia,  see  ee  bird  cellar."  Another 
new  effort  for  to-day  was  when  he  tried  to  hang  a 
thermometer  up  above  the  mantel  and  said,  "  Hang  ee 
up  mantel-piece." 

February  23d. — When  he  heard  a  neighboring  fac- 
tory-whistle this  evening  he  said,  "  Hear  it  whistle  six 
o'clock." 

When  talking  of  a  clock  he  said,  "I  go  see  it  six 
o'clock  "  (his  usual  bedtime).  When  he  was  screaming 
to-day  he  said,  "  Mannie  make  a  noise." 

He  was  trying  to  find  a  big  ring  carved  in  the  mantel 
this  morning.  The  mantel  was  draped  recently,  so  the 
ring  was  covered.  When  hunting  for  it  he  said,  "  Find 
big  O.  Harold  find  it.  Big  O  go  to  sleep,"  and  then 
when  he  had  discovered  it  he  said  "7  find  it."  Then 
he  dropped  the  curtain  and  said,  "  O  gone  to  sleep." 

He  is  very  fond  of  his  new  nurse,  Annie  —  an  old 
colored  mammy.  To-day  he  said  to  her,  "  Open  closet, 
build  a  house."  His  blocks  are  in  the  closet.  A  fe\vr 
days  ago,  when  asking  for  a  drink,  he  said,  "  Drink  fresh 
water." 

He  is  very  fond  of  Mrs.  A ,  who  is  a  neighbor  at 

present.  This  morning  when  she  came  in  he  climbed 

80 


THIRD    YEAR 

on  the  chair  before  her,  dangled  his  legs,  and  said, 
u  Harold  sit  on  chair,  talk  ee  lady."  She  began  to  talk 
to  him  and  asked  him  what  he  wanted  to  say.  He 
looked  at  her  very  shyly  and  said,  "  Lof  lady."  He 
calls  her  "ee  lady  up-tairs,"  and  often  begs  to  go  to 
see  her. 

February  24th. — To-day  he  said  at  various  times, 
"  Did  she  take  'em  out  ?"  (alluding  to  some  action  of 
his  nurse  in  regard  to  some  toys)  "lufly  wheel,"  and 
"  lof  Dr.  T ,"  meaning  a  physician  who  called  re- 
cently to  see  him. 

He  wanted  a  book  of  photographs  this  morning, 
which  he  called  "  Uncle  Henery's  book,"  because  it  con- 
tained a  picture  of  his  uncle.  He  said  "  Mamma,  give 
Harold  pictures,"  then  said  to  himself,  " Ask  mamma 
gib  Harold  pictures,"  as  if  approving  of  his  method 
for  getting  them. 

He  said  to  Annie  to-day  about  a  broken  toy,  "I 
thought  you  fixed  it."  He  also  said,  "  Hang  it  up  on  a 
nail,"  pronouncing  the  "  g  "  hard  when  saying  hang. 

Another  sentence  was  "  Bring  ee  chair  see  ee  mom- 
my sew." 

This  afternoon  he  was  very  much  interested  in  watch- 
ing a  fox-terrier  over  the  way  while  its  owner  was  teach- 
ing it  to  jump  over  the  fence.  He  said,  "  See  mannie 
jumpit  dog."  When  I  directed  his  attention  to  the  dog,  I 
said, "  What  is  his  name  1"  He  said  "  Germantown  dog," 
remembering  his  own  fox  -  terrier  which  he  had  at 
Germantown  six  months  ago. 

February  25th. — He  saw  the  reflection  of  the  gas- 
light to-night  on  a  dark-colored  bottle,  and  he  called  out 
instantly,  "  Gas  on  bottle." 

His  mother  wanted  to  use  something  to-day  to  which 

F  81 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

he  objected,  and  he  said,  "Mommy  no  use  dat,  put 
away  on  mantel-piece,  mommy  go  away." 

His  new  words  and  sentences  to-day  were:  "No,  I 
like  piggy  slippers " ;  "  See  him  put  a  bread  out " ; 
" Mommy  write "  ;  "I  got  it "  ;  "  Harold  hold  it— glass- 
water,"  when  holding  a  glass  of  water,  of  which  he 
seemed  very  proud. 

February  28th. — This  morning  on  waking  he  said, 
"What  time  is  it,  mommy?"  "shave,"  "poppee  shave," 
"is  gone  to  shave."  Later  he  said,  "I  must  fix  it;  too 
bad  break  teakella  (kettle)  again"  (alluding  to  a  toy 
teakettle). 

When  we  say  "Do  you  like  Dr.  E ?"  he  says 

"No."  "Do  you  like  Dr.  A ?"  "No."  He  has 

unpleasant  recollections  of  both  of  them  that  could  not 

have  been  avoided.  "  Do  you  like  Dr.  F ?"  "  Yes." 

He  (Dr.  F )  has  been  very  pleasant  with  him  during 

a  recent  slight  illness.  "  Do  you  want  to  see  him  ?" 
"  No."  (Because  he  fears  he  may  have  to  do  something 
unpleasant  when  he  comes.  If  convinced  that  nothing 
of  this  kind  is  to  be  asked  of  him,  he  is  always  ready 
for  a  chat  and  a  romp  with  him.)  He  sometimes  says, 
as  if  to  reassure  himself,  "Mommy  won't  hurt  you, 
poppee  won't  hurt  you,  doctor  won't  hurt  you." 

To-day  he  said,  while  playing  and  puzzling  over  some- 
thing he  did  not  understand,  "  On  odder  side.  What's 
dat?  I  can't  find  it— on  odder  side" ;  "  I  think  so" ;  "  Did 
you  fix  it  ?"  "  Did  you  stick  him  ?"  "  Whack,  piggy," 
when  hitting  his  wooden  pig.  He  also  said,  "Shoot 
Tommy  "  to-day  to  his  doll.  "Said  to  me,  when  going  to 
bed,  "Take  it  off— the  shoes";  "Take  it  off— the  slip- 
pers " ;  "  Poppee  put  on  shirt,  put  on  trousers,  an'  take  a 
baf  "  ;  "Annie,  take  it  off." 

82 


THIRD    YEAR 

Before  going  asleep  he  said  to  me,  "  Glad  to  see  you," 
"  Sweet  enough  to  kiss,"  which  I  often  say  to  him  after 
washing  his  face.  He  also  said  "  Good-afternoon,"  and 
this  evening  he  said  "  Just  one  light  burning  "  when  he 
saw  the  other  lights  lowered  that  he  might  sleep.  We 
asked  him  how  many  gaslights  were  burning  in  the 
room.  He  said,  correctly,  "  One,  two,  three  gases." 
When  carried  through  the  next  room  he  said,  again  cor- 
rectly, "  Just  one  gas  burning."  Afterwards  he  noticed 
the  light  of  the  Bunsen  burner  and  said,  "  One — two 
gases."  We  asked  him  if  there  were  any  more.  He  re- 
plied, "  I  don't  see  it."  There  were  none.  He  is  evi- 
dently going  to  be  cautious  in  reaching  conclusions. 
(The  record  shows  this  is  true.) 

When  his  father  was  ready  to  leave  for  the  day,  with 
coat,  hat,  etc.,  he  said,  "  Good-bye,  papa,  go  out  steet." 
He  always  says  "  steet "  for  street.  To-day  he  said, 
"Bring  out  the  cars."  He  said  "the"  twice  to-day,  in- 
stead of  "  ee "  as  usual.  He  also  said  to  himself,  "  Is 
dat  funny  ?  Dat  is  funny." 

He  said  to  Annie,  before  she  put  him  in  his  crib, 
"  Annie,  lie  down  on  mommy's  bed  and  hold  Harold's 
hand."  His  mother  often  does  this  when  he  is  falling 

O 

asleep,  and  as  she  was  not  there  at  the  time,  he  tried  to 
induce  Annie  to  do  it.  He  said,  to-day,  "  See  clock  on 
wall  tick-tock-ticking."  Also,  "  Listen  to  the  gas,"  as  it 
flared,  and  to  his  father,  "  Poppee,  smoke  pipe,  make 
rings."  When  on  his  father's  lap  watching  him  making 
rings,  he  discovered  cigars  in  his  waistcoat-pocket.  He 
grew  alarmed,  said,  "/  not  near  them,"  and  insisted  on 
sitting  on  his  mother's  lap  to  see  the  smoke  rings,  glanc- 
ing from  time  to  time,  as  if  afraid,  at  the  pocket  holding 
the  cigars. 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

To-day,  pointing  as  if  with  a  gun,  he  said,  "  Bing, 
shoot  bird."  When  Lavinia's  canary  was  brought  up  to 
amuse  him  he  said,  "  Poppee,  buy  new  bird."  Then  he 
asked  me  to  sing  "Moller  Goose — fol — la — three — birds," 
meaning  the  song  of 

"  Three  crows  there  were  once 
Who  sat  on  a  tree, 
Fal-la-la-la-la-la,"  etc. 

V 

I  think  I  sang  it  over  at  least  two  dozen  times.  He 
kept  repeating,  "  More — birdie  listens"  pointing  to  La- 
vinia's bird,  and  kept  time  with  his  finger,  sometimes 
singing  with  me.  It  had  not  occurred  to  me  that  he 
wanted  me  to  sing  for  the  bird.  He  was  ill  at  the  time, 
and  I  sang  because  I  thought  I  was  pleasing  him. 

To-day  he  said  "  Oh,  mercy !"  twice,  at  intervals.  He 
heard  his  colored  nurse  say  it.  He  also  said  to  me  when 
I  was  at  the  piano,  facing  him,  however,  "  Turn  around 
and  play  good  moosic.''  He  says  "  Mommy's  precious 
boy,"  "mommy's  pettie  boy,"  "poppee's  darlin',"  when 
asked  whose  boy  he  is. 

When  he  wants  me  to  sing  he  specifies  now,  saying, 
"  Sing  <  Jack  and  Jill,' "  or  "  Sing  '  Little  Bo  Peep.'  " 
When  we  go  over  "  Mother  Goose "  together,  he  says 
some  of  the  words  and  I  say  the  rest,  and  wait  for  him 
to  say  his.  In  this  wa}r  we  go  over  the  entire  book. 
He  seems  to  know  them  all  very  well,  although  he  is  just 
two  years  old.  The  following  are  his  words  for  "  Jack 

and  Jill": 

"  Jack — Jill — hill — water, 
Down — crown — after 
Got— trot. 

"Caper — bed — head — paper 
In — grin — plaster 
Vexed — next — disaster. " 
84 


THIRD    YEAR 

He  waits  for  me  to  say  some  words,  just  as  if  he 
wanted  me  to  have  a  turn — not  as  if  he  didn't  know 
them  all. 

This  evening  he  said,  "  Dink  water,  baf — sim  (swim) 
baf-yoom." 

When  he  hears  the  door-bell  at  breakfast  -  time  he 
says,  "  letter-man,"  and  u  gib  ee  letter."  He  says  to  me, 
questioningly,  "  Want  ee  coffee  ?"  He  also  says  "  bread- 
and-butter."  Once  he  asked  for  "nice  bread-and-butter." 
When  he  has  junket  for  dessert  for  dinner  he  says, 
"  Junket,  lufly  junket."  When  he  gets  rice-pudding  he 
says, "  Rice-pudding  day." 

He  says  "  tomach  "  for  stomach,  "  kib  "  for  crib ;  and 
says,  distinctly,  "  medicine,"  "  piano,"  "  violin,"  "  work- 
ing," "  stocking  "  (although  he  often  drops  the  s),  "  Santa 
Glaus,"  "  tongs,"  "  sugar-tongs,"  and  "  spoons."  He  says 
"  pockee-book  "  now,  instead  of  "  po-book,"  as  he  used  to. 

March  1st. — To-day,  while  he  was  trying  to  go  to 
sleep,  he  said  to  me,  as  I  came  into  the  room  to  get 
something,  "Shut  the  door;  Harold  go  asleep."  I  left 
quickly,  and  he  was  soon  asleep.  Later  in  the  day  his 
mother  sat  down  to  darn  some  stockings,  when  he  said, 
*'  Mamma,  don't  sew  papa's  stockings ;  hang  it  up." 

To-day  I  let  him  look  at  a  photograph  of  himself  that 
was  taken  in  July  last  with  his  dog  in  his  arms.  He 
looked  at  it  intently,  suddenly  turned,  and  said, "  Where's 
the  bell  3"  I  remembered  then  that  six  months  ago,  in 
October,  we  had  tried  to  get  a  good  picture  of  him, 
but  failed,  and  one  only  was  finished,  in  which  he  held 
a  bell.  Harold  saw  this  bell  in  the  one  finished  pict- 
ure, which  we  sent  away  at  the  time  it  was  taken.  He 
hasn't  seen  it  since,  yet  asked  for  the  bell  to-day,  when 
looking  at  a  different  picture. 

85 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

To-day  he  called  to  his  nurse,  "  My  nice  Annie." 

This  afternoon  he  was  busy  playing  with  a  little  play- 
mate. I  thought  I  could  steal  a  nap,  and  threw  myself 
down  on  the  couch.  He  said,  instantly,  "  Open  ee  eyes ; 
no  shut  eyes."  I  was  so  sleepy  that  I  closed  them  un- 
consciously, but  every  time  he  would  call  out,  plead- 
ingly, "  No  shut  eyes." 

This  evening  he  said  to  his  father, "  Papa,  play  violin  " ; 
"  Papa  sit  down  eat  ee  supper."  To  Annie  he  has  said 
for  over  a  month,  "  Annie,  build  a  house  wi  matches." 
(This  is  a  favorite  occupation  of  his  with  safety-matches. 
He  will  amuse  himself  a  half-hour  at  a  time  with  them). 

This  evening  we  asked  him  if  he  loved  Dr.  A .    He 

said  "Luf  Dr.  A ."     We  asked  him  again,  and  he 

said  "  No."    Then  we  asked  him  if  he  loved  Dr.  T . 

He  said  "  Yes,  love  Dr.  T ."    We  are  trying  to  get 

him  to  forget  his  unpleasant  recollections  of  Dr.  A , 

but  he  seems  to  remember  too  vividly  to  forget  easily. 
To-day  his  mother  wanted  to  dress  a  cut  with  antiseptic 
lint,  and  he  said,  "  Mamma,  put  ee  cotton  way."  When 
she  picked  it  up  again  he  said,  "  Put  it  on  Annie  fin- 
ger," as  if  his  finger  was  to  be  spared.  Then  he  said, 
as  she  took  the  salve,  "Mamma  won't  hurt  Harold  wi 
grease ;  papa  won't  hurt  Harold  ;  doctor  won't  hurt 
Harold  ;  doctor  put  satchel  way.  Doctor  come  in,  see 
soldier  picture,"  which  he  thinks  is  a  great  pleasure  (one 
of  Detaille's). 

At  dinner  this  evening  he  said  "Papa,  gib  some 
pease";  "Papa,  gib  Harold  crust";  "piece  of  crust"; 
" good  crust" ;  "  nice  crust."  To-night  he  said, "  Put  ee 
stockings  on,  go  see  papa  in  next  yoom,"  when  I  took 
them  off  to  get  him  ready  for  bed.  He  is  full  of  little 
ways  of  pleading  to  stay  up  at  night  with  "  papa." 

86 


THIRD    YEAR 

When  going  to  bed  to-night  he  said,  in  his  usual 
pleading  way,  "  See  papa  eat  oysters  next  yoom."  This 
afternoon  he  said  "  I  must  find  it,"  emphasizing  must. 

March  2d. — He  said,  to-day,  "Harold  sneeze";  also 
"  Too  bad ;  Harold  broke  it." 

I  gave  him  a  small  music-box  that  had  a  handle  simi- 
lar to  a  winding  tape-measure,  and  at  first  he  called  it 
a  "  tape-measure." 

March  3d. — His  new  sentences  to-day  were,  "Put 
this  on  the  top,"  and  "  Stand  up  and  look  at  Bridget," 
to  a  picture  he  saw  in  a  fashion  paper  that  he  called 
Bridget. 

He  made  H,  X,  and  A  with  matches,  and  told  me 
what  letters  they  were.  We  sometimes  give  him  a  box 
of  safety-matches  to  build  letters  with,  and  it  pleases 
him  very  much.  At  times  he  asks  for  them,  but  does 
not  get  them.  This  evening  when  he  received  the  box 
he  took  out  all  the  matches,  shut  the  box-slide,  hit  it  to 
make  sure  it  was  shut,  and  set  it  aside  in  a  very  decided 
way,  as  if  to  say,  "  Now  I  have  the  matches,  I  shall  do 
as  I  please  with  them."  He  then  built  houses,  letters, 
and  engines,  and  amused  himself  for  a  long  time. 

A  short  time  ago  he  saw  a  picture  of  a  screw-top  glue- 
pot  in  a  journal,  and  said  at  once,  in  an  excited  way, 
pointing  to  it,  "  What's  dat  ?"  I  said  "  A  glue-pot."  He 
looked  at  it  doubtingly  for  a  while,  then  said,  very  de- 
cidedly, "That's  the  doctor's;  doctor  won't  hurt  you; 
don't  like  bottle  doctor."  I  then  noticed  that  the  bottle 
resembled  an  ether-bottle  used  once  when  etherizing  him. 
When  I  asked  him  where  he  had  seen  a  doctor's  bot- 
tle, he  looked  at  the  end  of  the  mantel  where  the  one 
used  had  been  standing.  He  then  said,  although  it  was 
his  beloved  "schliissel  book,"  "Put  the  book  away; 

87 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

don't  like  the  doctor's  bottle."  He  asked  for  it  again, 
however,  after  a  while,  as  though  it  had  a  fascination 
for  him,  yet  he  showed  apprehension  when  he  saw  the 
picture. 

When  he  heard  some  one  moving  in  the  hall  later  on 
in  the  day  he  started  and  said  to  me,  "  Doctor  won't 
hurt  you."  Had  his  mother  thought  he  would  notice 
and  remember  so  much  she  would  have  cautioned  the 
physicians  and  have  saved  him  much  nerve-strain.  It 
is  a  mistake  no  doubt  often  made,  for  knowledge  so 
often  comes  too  late,  and  children  suffer.  (The  record 
shows  that  it  took  more  than  a  year  for  the  child  to  re- 
cover from  the  nerve-strain,  which  could  all  be  traced  to 
the  fact  that  he  was  allowed  to  be  in  the  room  while 
preparations  were  being  made  to  etherize  him.  These 
facts  may  serve  to  illustrate  where  physicians  and  sur- 
geons may  make  a  few  practical  deductions  from  child- 
study.) 

He  said,  to-day,  to  his  mother,  "See  birdie  sleep, 
mamma;  hang  it  up,  gas";  "Tommy  kiss  O's,  kiss  choo- 
choo,"  putting  the  letters  and  engine  to  Tommy's  mouth. 
(Tommy  is  a  stuffed  rag  doll).  He  then  said,  in  a  reflect- 
ive tone, "  Tommy's  face  very  dirty."  Dr.  A had  said 

the  same  a  few  days  before,  and  Harold  said  it  as  if,  now 
that  he  came  to  think  of  it,  Dr.  A —  -  was  right.  He 
then  said,  "  Tommy  sit  up,"  trying  to  make  him  sit.  He 
accomplished  it,  and  eagerly  said  to  me,  "  Harold  made 
Tommy  sit  up."  This  evening  when  he  saw  a  picture 
of  a  tape-measure  he  thought  of  the  music-box  he  had 
received  recently,  for  he  asked  at  once,  "  Mamma,  gib 
Harold  musila-box."  She  gave  it  to  him,  turning  over 
another  page  of  the  book  as  she  did  so.  He  turned  the 
handle  of  the  music-box  and  said,  "  Find  tape-measure." 


THIRD    YEAR 

She  turned  back  one  page  again  to  the  tape-measure 
picture,  and  he  looked  for  and  saw  that  it  had  no  handle, 
so  he  looked  about  the  room  and  said,  "  Mamma,  find 
other  tape-measure,"  signifying  he  wanted  the  one  we 
used  that  had  a  handle.  He  saw  the  points  of  resem- 
blance, yet  knew  each  thing  for  what  it  was. 

He  has  said  "  sterilized  "  distinctly  for  several  weeks. 

He  said  to-day,  "  Soldier  picture ;  sing  to  soldier  pict- 
ure," the  one  of  Detaille's  alluded  to  before,  of  which 
he  is  very  fond. 

He  spoke  of  snow  the  other  day  when  he  saw  it  fall- 
ing. 

This  evening  he  asked,  "  How  many  gases  burning  ?" 
"W  hen  we  reached  a  picture  in  the  Iron  Age  of  a  large 
stationary  engine,  he  said  "  What's  dat  ?"  I  said,  "  Ma- 
chine." He  repeated  the  word,  looked  at  me,  then  said 
"  machinery  "  twice.  How  he  learned  it  I  do  not  know. 
He  must  have  heard  some  one  say  it  in  this  connection. 

For  several  days  he  has  said  a  number  of  times,  "  Mam- 
ma, take  him  arms."  He  does  this  when  he  does  not  feel 
very  well,  and  it  always  makes  her  watch  him  closely 
that  she  may  try  to  correct  any  disturbance  before  it 
goes  too  far. 

He  wanted  his  "schliissel  book"  this  evening,  and  when 
his  mother  gave  it  to  him  she  said,  "  Tell  mamma  you 
are  her  darling  boy."  He  hugged  her,  and  said  in  a  tone 
of  great  affection,  "  Mamma's  darlin',  precious  boy." 

March  4th. — He  said  to-day,  "  This  is  a  knife  to  cut 
some  bread,"  pointing  to  bread -knife.  He  also  said, 
" Papa  dress  too"  the  first  time  he  has  said  too.  Said 
"  bing  "  for  bring. 

He  said  to  Kate,  a  visitor,  "  Love  Kate,  sit  down  on 
Kate's  lap,  tired  of  sitting  on  Annie's  lap." 

89 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

Other  sentences  at  this  date  were:  "Mommy's  good 
boy";  "Stella  (a  playmate)  not  here  to-day";  "Bring  it 
up  the  spoons,  Stella ; "  "I  love  it,  the  boy,"  alluding  to 
little  Walter,  with  whom  he  played  occasionally  ;  "  Shut 
this  window." 

He  put  one  of  his  father's  bamboo  canes  in  a  hole  in 
a  chair  this  evening,  and  amused  himself  for  a  long  time 
making  it  go  up  and  down  and  bend. 

He  said  to  Annie  to-day,  "  Annie  write  to  Susan,  gib 
ee  dis  one  pencil,  write  to  Susan."  She  told  him  a  few 
days  ago  that  she  must  write  a  letter  to  some  one  called 
Susan.  He  said  to  me  to-day,  "  Thank  you,  put  away 
nice  little  gas-light,"  returning  to  me  a  gas-burner  I  had 
given  him  to  play  with.  Then  he  said,  "  Mamma,  try  to 
reach  it,  mantel-piece." 

As  soon  as  he  hears  a  piano,  even  if  it  is  next  door,  he 
asks  for  his  toy  piano,  and  begins  to  play. 

March  6th. — A  new  sentence  to-day  was  "  Stand  up 
and  wind  the  tick-tock  up." 

One  day  recently,  when  not  well,  he  said,  "Just  a 
while  lean  on  here"  (meaning  my  shoulder),  "Annie's 
arms  break."  She  must  have  complained  in  his  hear- 
ing of  her  arms  being  tired  or  being  ready  to  break. 

To-day  he  had  spinach  for  dinner,  the  first  time  for  a 
month.  He  recognized  it,  and  called  it  "  pinage." 

His  new  sentences  to-day  were:  "Write  Baby  Mc- 
Kee";  "Where's  it?"  and  "No,  got  enough,"  when  asked 
if  he  would  have  more  of  something. 

He  also  said  again  to-day,  "  Doctor  won't  hurt  you, 
table." 

An  old  servant  called  Bridget  brought  him  a  balloon 
to-day.  He  seemed  afraid  of  it,  and  said,  "  Don't  ee  like 
ee  Bridget  ball.  Needn't  go  near  it.  Hang  it  up."  He 

90 


THIRD    YEAR 

has  not  seen  her  for  six  weeks.  At  first  he  looked  shy 
and  turned  away,  but  turned  back  again,  and  looked  at 
her  as  if  glad  and  surprised,  saying  "  Bridget." 

He  said  to  his  father  to-night,  when  he  went  to  bed, 
"  Good-bye,  papa,  until  to-morrow,  see  you  again." 

This  evening  as  I  sang  about  "  Good-night  to  birds," 
he  sang  "  Good-night,  Bavinia's  bird." 

March  7th. — To-day  he  said,  "  Got  a  pain  in  tummach, 
mamma."  At  night  he  begged  to  lie  in  "  mamma's 
bed,"  and  was  ill  all  night.  He  cried  constantly,  "  Take 
him,  carry  him  in  mamma's  arms,  walk  floor." 

March  9th. — This  evening  at  dinner  he  picked  up  a 
piece  of  cr.ust  lying  by  his  father's  plate,  tasted  it,  said, 
"  Don't  ee  like  ee  papa's  crust,  want  a  drink,"  and  said, 
also,  "  Get  a  spoon  and  feed  him  " ;  "  Harold  feed  him- 
self ";  "Want  some  meat";  "Want  some  juice"  (roast- 
beef  dish  gravy) ;  "  Want  some  tato,"  and  so  on,  as 
each  dish  appeared.  As  he  grew  sleepy  he  said,  as  if 
afraid  she  wouldn't  do  it  on  account  of  dinner,  "  Mam- 
ma, take  me  ;  lie  on  mamma's  bed,  hold  hand." 

He  began  lately  to  say,  in  a  conscious  way  after  mak- 
ing a  remark,  "  Hear  dat,  papa?"  Every  one  began  at 
once  to  be  more  careful,  and  the  servants  were  cautioned, 
for  fear  he  would  lose  his  unconsciousness,  and  results 
justified  this  care.  He  has  now  no  thought  as  to  how 
his  words  appear  to  others. 

He  said  to-day,  "  Fraid  ee  mamma  sew,  put  ee  down 
ee  needle."  Also,  "  Fraid  ee  mamma  go  away ;  fraid  ee 

papa  take  a  choo  -  choo  go  to  see  Aunt  M ,  New 

York." 

He  goes  over  a  pet  journal  of  mechanical  illustrations 
in  a  curious  way.  He  has  some  association  with  each 
picture.  When  he  saw  a  poker,  the  name  of  which  he 

91 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

did  not  know,  he  said  "  Bishy,"  meaning  a  servant  he 
had  seen  using  a  poker ;  when  he  saw  a  stove  -  lifter,  he 
said  "  hot "  (he  may  have  found  that  out  by  experience, 
for  he  sometimes  gets  into  the  kitchen).  His  favorite 
illustrations  are  a  page  of  screws,  one  of  keys  (after 
which  he  calls  the  book  his  "  schliissel  book,"  for  we  told 
him  the  German  word  for  key),  and  a  very  complete  il- 
lustration of  a  locomotive,  but  he  will  sit  contentedly, 
turning  over  page  after  page,  and  talk  to  himself  about 
all  the  pictures.  He  does  this  also  with  Mother  Goose, 
and  seems  to  know  nearly  all  of  it,  sometimes  humming 
snatches  of  the  melody,  but  he  prefers  the  "  schliissel 
book,"  and  finds  something  new  in  it  every  time  he  looks 
it  over,  and  is  always  eager  to  show  me  his  discoveries. 
It  is  astonishing  to  see  how  he  amuses  himself  from 
morning  to  night  when  we  do  not  confuse  him  with  too 
many  things.  One  time  we  give  him  blocks,  another 
time  take  him  to  the  kitchen  and  let  him  reign  until  nap- 
time,  when  cook  gets  a  chance  to  tidy  up  again.  When 
there,  he  will  go  from  one  utensil  to  another,  point  to 
them,  and  say  "  What's  dat  ?" 

Every  evening  now  he  says  to  his  father  as  soon  as 
he  is  in  the  house,  "  Papa,  play  ee  violin,"  and  while  he 
plays  he  will  rest  quietly  in  his  nurse's  arms.  When 
his  father  stops  playing,  to  go  to  dinner,  he  says,  "  Put 
ee  violin  seep."  He  found  somewhere  a  fan  shaped 
like  a  violin,  and  an  egg-beater  that  he  uses  as  a  bow. 
He  calls  these  "  my  violin,"  and  goes  about  the  house 
playing  and  singing  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

Yesterday  I  held  him  up  at  the  window  to  see  a  chute 
coal-wagon.  He  looked  at  the  men  taking  out  the  coal 
for  a  while,  and  then  said,  "  Make  ee  wheel  go  round." 
I  didn't  know  at  first  what  he  meant,  but  afterwards  I 

92 


THIRD    YEAR 

saw  them  lower  the  cart,  and  understood.  I  had  not 
noticed  the  wheel  before. 

This  evening  I  gave  him  a  bottle  of  milk  that  was  a 
little  bit  warmer  than  he  is  accustomed  to.  He  instant- 
ly handed  back  the  bottle  after  touching  it,  and  said, 
"  Put  his  bottle  in  the  cold."  He  often  says  "  his  "  now 
for  "  ee." 

To-night,  when  giving  him  a  mustard  foot-bath,  he 
protested,  and  lifting  his  feet  out  of  the  water  said, 
''Don't  like  ee  mustard."  He  heard  me  tell  nurse  to 
put  the  mustard  in.  Probably  if  he  had  not  heard  this 
he  would  not  have  noticed  the  difference,  especially  if  I 
had  diverted  his  attention  when  doing  it. 

March  llth. — This  evening  he  said,  in  about  one  hour 
after  receiving  a  toy  violin,  "  Daden's  bow ;  poor  bow 
fell!"  (to  his  own  when  it  fell).  "Mommy  sing  'A 
Maggie  pet.'  Poppee  don't  want  to  play  violin."  Then 
to  his  own,  "Sweet  violin,  nice  violin,  lovely  violin;  mam- 
ma kiss  violin,  Harold  kiss  violin  "  (doing  it).  "  Don't 

want  Dr.  A to  play  violin."     (This  doctor  lanced 

his  gums  when  he  was  teething.)  "When  told  he  was  to 
go  to  bed,  he  said,  "  No ;  Harold  must  play  violin.  Go 
clock  "  (meaning  go  see  clock).  "  Harold  go  to  bed  ?  I 
t'ought  so.  Pretty  violin.  Oh-h-h,  is  it  broket  again  ? 
Where  is  the  oder  piece?"  (when  a  peg  fell  out).  His 
mother  said,  "Can't  you  find  it  ?"  He  said  "No.  Come 
find  it,  mommy ;  come  find  it,  mommy ;  find  tick  to 
Harold's  violin."  Then  he  said,  meditatively,  "  Poppee 
don't  play  piano.  Mommy  don't  play  violin"  (noting 
difference,  as  usual).  "  Poppee's  violin  in  big  box." 
Then,  after  seeing  something  about  the  violin  that  made 
him  point  and  exclaim  "  W  "  very  eagerly,  he  went  to 
bed  as  if  he  had  to  go  but  did  not  want  to. 

93 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

This  evening  he  said,  "Feed  children  supper.  Poor 
children  cry ;  I  get  it.  I  get Moller  Goose"  running  to 
the  next  room  to  get  the  book  to  bring  it  to  me.  I  never 
looked  to  see  to  which  song  he  alluded.  He  broke  his  toy 
violin  after  dinner  and  said,  "  Poppee  fix  it."  When  his 
father  returned  it  to  him  he  said,  voluntarily,  "  Thank 
you,  papa.  Harold  play  violin." 

March  12th. — This  morning  he  said  to  his  father  when 
he  left, "  Good-bye,  poppee ;  see  you  soon  again  " ;  then, 
"  Mommy,  get  violin  "  (meaning  his  own) ;  "  daden's  bow 
next  yoom;  fraid  ee  poppee  put  it  seep  next  yoom" 
(again  meaning  his  own,  fearing  his  father  had  put  his 
away  with  his  own). 

To-day,  when  looking  over  a  puzzle-block  game  that 
had  a  large  picture  of  an  engine  on  the  box-cover,  he 
found  a  small  piece  of  the  engine  inside,  which  he 
promptly  called  "  little  choo-choo,"  pointing  to  the  bell 
on  the  piece  at  the  same  time,  and  saying  "  ting-a-ling- 
a-ling."  He  then  said,  eight  times  in  succession,  "  big 
choo-choo,  little  choo-choo,"  again  noting  difference. 

When  dressed  in  the  morning  now  he  goes  to  the 
door  and  calls,  "  Annie  come  and  talk  a  you."  She  asked 
him  who  gave  him  the  engine.  He  said,  "  Mamma  bing 
it  this  muding,"  (morning).  Sometimes  he  says  words 
correctly,  and  at  other  times  he  does  as  above — i.e.,  say- 
ing "  muding  "  for  morning.  He  is  not  corrected,  for  we 
want  him  to  find  out  for  himself  from  observation  the 
correct  way  to  pronounce  words.  When  he  asks  the 
names  of  things  he  is  told  carefully,  and  we  see  that 
he  says  the  word  correctly,  but  what  he  learns  himself 
we  let  alone.  We  want  to  find  out  how  much  he  can 
absorb  from  surroundings  without  direction.  So  far  he 
has  learned  a  great  deal  through  his  own  activity.  He 

94 


NO    DATK    DRAWINGS 


A,  stand-pipe  ;    B.  folded  pnper  frame  for  drawing  of  boot  ;    C,  machine  stitching  for  frame  ,    D, 
Stationary  wash  -stnnd  ;  E,  flagman  ;  F.  wheel  turning  round. 


UNIVERSITY 


THIRD    YEAR 

is  never  at  rest,  brain  or  body,  and  it  keeps  us  busy  to 
see  that  he  has  sufficient  diversion  without  confusion  to 
occupy  him  from  morning  to  night.  So  far  as  is  possi- 
ble, routine  is  depended  on  for  all  that  must  necessarily 
be  done — i.e.,  feeding,  naps,  going  out,  bathing,  and  bed- 
time— and  we  find  that  he  takes  all  of  them  as  incidental 
to  what  appears  to  him  to  be  his  great  occupation — i.e., 
play.  (The  records  show  that  he  was  never  happy  unless 
occupied — alwa}^s  asking,  "  What  may  I  do  ?"  when  he 
could  find  nothing  himself,  and  but  a  few  words  of  sug- 
gestion were  necessary,  as  a  rule,  to  send  him  at  once  to 
a  new  occupation.) 

When  he  awoke  to-day  from  his  nap  he  was  fretful 
until  he  thought  of  his  violin.  Then  he  was  happy,  and 
wanted  to  stay  home  with  it  instead  of  going  out  in  his 
coach.  His  mother  let  him  take  it  down  to  the  door 
with  him,  and  diverted  him  sufficiently  to  take  it  away 
when  he  left.  It  might  have  been  wiser  to  have  openly 
taken  it  away,  offering  something  in  its  place,  for  he 
cried  as  soon  as  he  missed  it.  As  soon  as  he  came  home 
he  asked  for  it,  and  said, "  Fraid  a  mommy  take  it  way, 
violin."  He  then  asked  me  to  "  play  it  and  sing  fiddle," 
meaning  "  Hey  diddle-diddle,  the  cat  and  the  fiddle." 

To-day  he  said  he  had  a  pain  in  his  u  tummack,"  and 
asked  for  his  medicine  (soda-mint).  When  he  had  fin- 
ished taking  it  he  took  the  spoon  and  said  "  More ; 
Harold  feed  himself."  He  evidently  likes  the  sugar  in 
it,  and  I  fear  the  pain  is  imaginary.  He  has  shown  an 
inclination  several  times  to  use  sophistry  in  getting  me 
to  do  something  he  wants  very  much,  so  hereafter  I 
shall  try  to  let  him  know  that  he  can  have  things  for 
the  asking  only,  and  trust  that  he  will  ask  for  what 
may  reasonably  be  granted.  (The  record  shows  that 

95 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

this  method  corrected  his  sophistical  efforts  to  a  great 
extent.  Some  one  may  have  said  something  in  his  hear- 
ing to  impress  him  with  the  fact  that  an  inducement 
must  be  offered  to  get  certain  things,  but  I  think  he  has 
reasoned  it  out  for  himself  that  he  gets  certain  things 
under  certain  conditions — as,  for  instance,  the  soda-mint 
sweetened  when  he  says  he  has  a  pain.  The  only  other 
times  we  have  noticed  this  inclination  have  been  in  the 
morning,  when  he  tries  to  induce  us  to  get  him  up  very 
early,  or  at  bedtime,  when  he  wants  to  stay  up  longer 
than  his  usual  hour.  We  are  generally  deaf  to  his  en- 
treaties at  each  time,  but  we  are  quite  accustomed  to 
hear  him  say  in  the  morning  that  he  wants  all  sorts  of 
things,  each  one  calculated  to  make  one  rise — as,  for  in- 
stance, "Want  a  drink,"  which  he  knows  he  will  get,  or 
"  Harold  hungry,"  etc.  He  is  not  allowed  to  get  up 
before  seven,  for  we  want  him  to  have  the  habit  of 
waking  and  rising  regularly,  and  his  hour  of  waking 
has  gradually  been  regulated  from  five  to  half-past  six 
in  this  way,  and  we  will  soon  reach  seven,  by  simply 
chatting  and  playing  with  him  and  giving  him  a  drink 
of  milk  and  his  toys,  but  insisting  on  his  remaining  in 
bed  until  seven.  Such  training  is  of  value,  especially 
when  travelling,  for  he  will  sit  contentedly  and  amuse 
himself  without  disturbing  his  neighbors. 

To-day  he  had  two  pitchers  to  play  with,  and  poured 
a  little  water  from  one  to  the  other.  He  said  to  me  in 
a  tone  of  great  delight,  "  Harold  pour."  We  risked  his 
getting  wet  to  give  him  the  pleasure — and,  as  in  every- 
thing he  does,  he  showed  care. 

This  morning  we  went  out  for  a  walk.  Before  we 
started  he  asked  to  go  to  see  the "  choo  -  choos  on  ee 
fence."  I  promised  to  take  him  there,  but  allowed  myself 

96 


OF  THB 

UNIVERSI - 
THIRD    YEAR 

to  be  diverted  from  doing  so  at  once.  When  we  were  sev- 
eral blocks  beyond  the  "  choo-choo "  street,  he  evident- 
ly realized  that  we  had  gone  too  far,  for  he  turned 
about  and  said,  "  See  choo-choos !"  When  we  returned 
and  reached  the  place,  we  found  that  the  posters  had 
been  covered  with  others,  much  to  his  disappointment, 
which  I  tempered  by  directing  his  attention  to  some- 
thing attractive  beyond ;  and  as  we  passed  a  provision- 
store  he  was  delighted  to  see  some  dressed  turkeys 
hanging  there,  and  called  them  "  roosters." 

This  afternoon  he  crept  down  half  a  flight  of  stairs, 
unaided,  when  following  his  nurse  to  the  bath-room. 
As  he  did  it  he  no  doubt  remembered  that  he  had  been 
told  not  to  do  so,  for  he  called,  in  a  very  insinuating 
way,  "  Good-bye,  mamma,"  as  if  he  wanted  very  much 
to  go,  yet  felt  it  was  not  quite  right.  His  mother  hon- 
ored this  feeling  in  him  and  let  him  alone. 

This  evening  he  asked  for  a  piece  of  candy.  I  sup- 
pose he  calls  "  flake  manna "  candy  because  it  tastes 
sweet ;  yet  I  do  not  know  how  he  can  have  any  con- 
ception of  candy  except  from  hearsay,  for  he  has  never 
eaten  any.  I  gave  him  a  piece  of  the  manna  and  he  ate 
it,  then  asked  for  more.  I  said  "No."  He  then  took  up 
a  quinine-chocolate  that  he  had  refused  to  take  before, 
and  asked  to  lie  on  mamma's  bed  to  eat  it,  and  ate  it 
all.  Then  he  came  to  me  and  asked  again  for  "more 
piece  of  candy,"  as  if  he  thought  I  would  be  so  pleased 
to  see  him  eat  the  chocolate  that  he  would  get  the  man- 
na as  a  reward.  Hard  as  I  found  it  to  deny  him,  he  did 
not  get  it,  for  he  must  do  what  is  right  without  being 
bribed,  and  he  must  learn  that  he  must  not  attempt 
to  bribe.  (This  is  a  great  evil  in  training  children,  both 
at  home  and  in  school.  Using  bribes,  marks,  honors,  or 
a  97 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

anything  of  the  kind,  should  not  be  allowed  until  a  child 
has  reached  years  that  bring  with  them  some  judgment 
as  to  the  real  value  of  things.  A  child  should  learn  to 
do  a  thing  because  it  is  right  in  itself  to  do  it,  not  be- 
cause some  one  else  wants  him  to  do  it,  and  he  should 
see  by  example  that  those  about  him  follow  the  same 
rule,  then  doing  right  will  become  a  life-long  habit.) 

March  13th.  —  This  morning  when  dressed  he  said, 
"  Mamma  draw  the  curtain  las  night  six  o'clock ;  Harold 
go  asleep.  Hear  dat,  papa?"  as  if  proud  of  going  to 
bed  so  early.  To-day  it  snowed,  and  he  said,  "  See — 
the  snow  falling  down !"  He  put  his  finger  on  the  re- 
flector of  a  speaking-tube  to-day,  moved  it,  and  called 
Lavinia  so  that  she  heard  it. 

When  his  father  was  dressing  this  morning  he  said, 
"  Papa,  put  clothes  on ;  what  coat,  trousers  ?"  opening 
the  door  of  the  closet  and  looking  in  as  he  spoke,  as  if 
he  wished  to  know  which  to  get  for  him — showing,  as 
usual,  his  desire  to  help  others. 

March  14th. — Said  "  Fool  ee  Annie  dat  time  "  to  his 
nurse.  She  often  says  to  him,  "  Fool  Harold !"  when  she 
plays  with  him. 

One  morning  when  he  was  trying  to  get  his  mother 
to  rise,  she  showed  a  strong  disposition  to  lie  down  again 
after  having  risen.  He  called  out  to  his  father,  in  a 
tone  of  great  apprehension, "  Fraid  ee  mamma  lie  down, 
papa."  Poor  little  chap,  he  seems  to  feel  the  responsi- 
bility of  getting  us  up  in  the  morning,  and,  as  every  one 
but  himself  is  up  late  at  night,  it  is  pretty  hard  work. 

March  15th. — This  evening  at  dinner  his  father  said, 
jokingly,  "Will  you  have  some  of  the  edibles?"  He 
replied, "  Don't  like  edibles." 

March  16th. — To-day  he  said,  "  Mamma,  lift  ee  in  ee 

98 


THIRD    YEAR 

arras  see  horsy,  see  bird-cage."  Also,  when  his  father 
left  with  a  travelling-bag,  "Papa,  steet,  New  York, 

Aunt  M y."  He  evidently  thinks  that  every  time 

his  father  goes  oat  of  the  house  with  a  bag  he  goes  to 
New  York  to  see  Aunt  M y. 

March  18th. — When  his  father  came  in  this  evening 
he  ran  to  him  and  said,  "Iss,  papa,"  kissed  him,  brought 
his  little  violin  and  bow  immediately,  walked  up  to 
where  the  big  one  was,  stood  there,  and  said,  repeated- 
ly, "  Papa  play  big  violin."  When  at  last  his  father 
did  play,  he  walked  around  the  room  as  usual,  playing 
his.  It  is  a  very  quaint  sight,  for  he  holds  both  violin 
and  bow  correctly,  for  his  father  found  it  was  just  as 
easy  to  show  him  the  right  way  as  the  wrong.  It  is  on 
this  principle  that  he  is  shown  correctly  how  to  do  any- 
thing that  he  is  likely  to  use  in  later  life.  One  evening 
recently,  when  amusing  each  other  with  their  violins, 
Harold's  father  used  his  bow  on  Harold's  violin,  nat- 
urally with  increased  sound.  Harold  instantly  cried  for 
"big  bow"  to  use  it  himself  on  his  violin,  and  it  took 
a  long  time  to  restore  his  content  with  his  own  bow. 
(This  shows  how  readily  a  child  may  be  made  unhappy 
by  comparisons.) 

This  evening  at  early  dinner  he  was  allowed  to  sit  at 
table.  He  had  bread-and-milk,  and  asked  for  a  spoon 
to  "  feed  himself."  I  spoke  incidentally  of  Mary  (a 
former  servant).  He  said  at  once,  "  Did  you  see  Mary  ? 
Did  you  see  George  ?"  (Mary's  husband,  of  whom  he 
was  very  fond).  He  had  not  seen  nor  heard  of  them  for 
some  time. 

This  morning  he  found  a  picture  of  a  clock  in  his  pet 
journal  which  looked  not  unlike  one  in  a  friend's  room. 
He  called  it  "lady's  clock,"  and  handed  me  another 

99 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

copy  of  the  journal,  begging  me  to  "  Find  nodder  lady's 
clock."  I  did  so,  and  he  was  delighted,  repeating  many 
times  "  Find  nodder  lady's  clock."  Then  he  looked 
closely  at  them,  said  "  Won't  go,"  then  looked  up  at  the 
clock  on  the  wall  and  said,  "Ganma's  clock;  don't 
touch." 

One  morning  before  I  had  risen  he  was  very  quiet, 
and  we  discovered  him  on  my  desk  pulling  at  the  pen- 
dulum of  a  clock  which  he  calls  "ganme's  clock"  be- 
cause she  gave  it  to  me. 

March  19th. — When  his  father  kissed  him  good-bye 
this  morning  he  said,  "  See  papa  out  er  winnow  on  steet." 
I  held  him  so  he  could  see  him  for  a  moment  as  he  passed 
out  of  sight.  He  said,  " There  he  is — gone"  and  turned 
away  as  if  ready  for  something  else.  He  is  a  very 
philosophical  little  fellow. 

This  evening  he  said  to  us,  "  See  Mrs.  Pancer."  We 
asked  him  where.  He  said,  "  On  ee  steet  at  ee  corner." 
We  found  out  afterwards  that  he  and  his  nurse  had 
passed  a  Mrs.  Spencer  at  the  corner  of  a  street  in  the 
afternoon. 

The  other  evening  when  in  his  own  room  he  lost  a 
peg  of  his  violin,  one  that  came  out  very  easily.  We 
all  went  out  to  find  it  for  him.  Since  then  he  begs  us 
every  evening  to  come  out  and  find  it,  leading  each  one 
of  us  to  the  same  place,  because  he  still  misses  it.  We 
really  found  it  the  first  evening,  but  put  it  away,  un- 
known to  him,  for  we  thought  he  would  soon  be  satis- 
fied without  it,  and  it  was  so  loose  that  he  was  constant- 
ly losing  it.  I  suppose  it  would  have  been  kinder  to 
the  little  fellow  to  have  fixed  the  peg  in  so  that  it 
would  stay. 

To  -  night  he  said  at  dinner,  "  Want  some  oysters. 

100 


THIRD    YEAR 

Papa  want  some  water  ?  Harold  pour  it  out."  He 
always  wants  to  help  wherever  he  is,  and  he  is  still  en- 
couraged in  it,  although  at  times  it  is  trying  to  wait 
until  he  has  done  what  he  is  aiming  at. 

He  saw  a  bird  go  down  a  chimney  to-day,  and  said, 
"  See  little  bird  go  down  hole."  He  never  saw  a  chim- 
ney from  the  top,  so  he  must  have  reasoned  that  there 
was  a  hole  because  the  bird  disappeared.  When  he  saw 
flowing  water  and  sleet  on  snow  to  -  day,  he  said,  ap- 
ropos of  each  subject,  "  See  water  run,"  and  "  See  water 
on  snow." 

He  was  very  sleepy  when  he  was  put  down  for  his 
nap,  and  as  soon  as  his  head  touched  the  pillow  he  said, 
very  decidedly,  "  Draw  curtain,  mamma."  It  sounded 
as  if  he  could  hardly  wait  to  go  to  sleep.  When  he 
saw  her  lying  on  a  couch  later  in  the  day  he  said  to 
himself,  "  Mamma  resting." 

When  he  went  to  see  Mrs.  A to-day  he  asked  for 

"  birdie."  She  has  a  stuffed  bird  that  she  gives  to  him 
occasionally  to  amuse  himself  with  while  we  chat.  To- 
day, after  receiving  the  bird,  he  said,  "Put  birdie  on  ee 
trunk."  We  did  so.  Then  he  looked  at  it  and  said, 
"  See  birdie  on  ee  trunk,"  then  took  it  up  and  caressed 
it,  asking  me  to  kiss  its  eyes  and  its  tail.  As  he  said  tail 
he  pointed  to  the  branch  upon  which  the  bird's  feet  were 
resting.  I  then  showed  him  where  the  tail  was. 

When  looking  out  of  the  window  to-day  he  said, 
"  See  ee  bird  in  cage,"  indicating  that  he  wanted  to 
move  so  he  could  get  something  in  his  line  of  vision.  I 
did  as  he  wanted,  and  found  that  from  a  certain  part  of 
the  window-ledge  he  could  see  a  bird  in  a  cage  in  a 
house  across  the  street.  He  had  evidently  discovered 
this  before,  but  had  said  nothing  about  it,  for  we  were 

ioi 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

not  aware  of  its  being  the  case.  He  is  constantly  sur- 
prising us  in  this  way. 

A  violinist  and  harpist  played  before  the  honse  one 
day  recently,  and  he  insisted  on  having  his  violin  and 
being  put  on  the  window-ledge,  where  he  stood  and 
played  for  a  long  time,  much  to  the  amusement  of  the 
musicians  outside. 

When  he  was  being  dressed  to-day  to  go  out  with  his 
nurse  he  said,  "  Take  the  chair  away."  It  appears  she 
has  to  remove  a  chair  in  the  down-stair's  hall  in  order 
to  get  the  coach  out  of  the  door,  and  he  meant  that  she 
should  get  it  ready  while  I  was  dressing  him. 

He  began  running  up  and  down  before  his  father  this 
evening,  saying,  "  Boom,  boom,  bumpety  boom ;  shoot 
papa,  bing !"  pointing  his  finger  as  he  did  it. 

March  20th.— To-day  he  said,  "Call  papa";  "King 
bell " ;  "  Mamma  resting  " ;  "  Papa,  play  big  violin  " ; 
"  Call  papa ;  papa,  come  home,  play  big  violin."  When 
he  came  in  from  his  airing  he  said,  "  Had  good  time  on 
steet." 

This  morning  to  amuse  him  I  suggested  that  he  go 

to  the  door,  call  Mrs.  A ,  and  say  "  Good-morning  " 

to  her.     He  called  "Mrs.  A "  four  times,  waiting 

until  she  answered;  then  he  said  "  Good  -  morning." 
This  occupied  him  for  quite  a  little  while,  and  I  had  a 
few  minutes'  freedom  until  he  was  ready  for  something 
else.  Yesterday  when  I  heard  Mrs.  A going  down- 
stairs I  said  to  him,  to  divert  him  for  a  moment,  "  Call 

good-bye  to  Mrs.  A ."    He  did  so,  and  added,  "  Frow 

a  kiss  to  Mrs.  A ."    He  loves  her  very  much,  and  it 

pleases  him  to  do  these  things,  at  the  same  time  it  culti- 
vates a  kindly  feeling  to  others.  He  appears  now  to 
love  nearly  every  person  he  meets. 

102 


THIRD    YEAR 

To-day  he  said,  "  Mamma  tore  her  dress.    Too  bad !" 

He  heard  us  say  alcohol,  and  said,  instantly,  "  Don't 
like  alcohol  bottle  on  ee  mantel."  He  is  rubbed  with  it, 
and  doesn't  like  the  smell.  He  says  the  word  very 
distinctly. 

For  several  months  now  he  has  said,  when  eating, 
"  Put  away,  got  enough,"  and  he  will  take  no  more. 

To-day  he  said,  "  Make  a  tick-tock.  Harold  make  a 
tiek-tock."  He  has  stopped  saying  I,  except  occasion- 
ally, and  uses  his  name  (Harold)  instead.  He  told  me 
to-night  to  "  Make  lamp  light  again ;  make  gas  -  pipe 
light."  He  also  asked  to  go  out  this  afternoon  by  say- 
ing, "  Mamma,  get  ee  coat  and  cap  and  take  Harold 
bye,"  following  it  up  with  "  Annie  no  Harold  bye " 
(meaning  he  preferred  that  his  mother  should  take  him 
out  instead  of  his  nurse). 

When  his  mother  tried  to  cover  his  bare  feet  this 
evening  with  his  night-coat,  while  holding  him  on  her 
lap  before  placing  him  in  bed,  he  said,  "  Mamma,  coat 
no  on  feet."  He  always  shows  a  desire  to  have  them 
bare  at  this  time,  and  it  is  curious  to  hear  him  say  ano" 
for  not. 

March  21st. — "Hello,  Alfred!"  he  said,  to-day,  looking 
in  the  next  room  to  see  if  it  was  an  errand-boy  he 
knew,  for  he  heard  some  one  moving  about.  He  saw 
it  was  his  nurse,  however,  and  then  said,  "  Oh,  that's 
Annie !" 

This  evening  he  said  to  his  father  when  he  came  in, 
"  Take  off  gloves,  poppee ;  take  off  fingers." 

His  mother  had  a  headache  and  he  said,  "Annie's 
forehead,  mamma's  forehead — poor  mamma's  forehead !" 
He  said  "  Big  pin,  little  pin  "  repeatedly  to-day,  to  two 
safety-pins  of  different  size. 

103 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

On  March  22d  he  said,  "  Now,  Tommy,  sit  up  ;  now, 
Tommy,  eat  some  breakfast";  "Tommy  like  boy 
squeak."  Tommy  is  his  pet  rag  doll,  and  he  talks  to 
him  a  great  deal.  He  also  said  that  "  Tommy  go  in  a 
hole."  We  couldn't  find  out  what  he  meant. 

March  23d. — As  I  poured  all  the  water  from  a  carafe 
into  a  large  basin  this  morning  he  said,  "Big  water, 
little  water ;  little  water  gone  out." 

March  24th. — New  sentences  to-day  were  "Lots  of 
good  times  " ;  "  Lots  of  good  fun." 

March  25th. — He  asked  me  to  "  Sit  on  ee  knees."  This 
is  the  first  time  for  the  word  knees. 

March  26th. — He  said  to-da}^  to  himself,  "  Papa  says 
no,  no,  Harold;  papa  says  turn  those  pins  around" 
(meaning  pegs  in  violin).  He  said  later  to  me,  "  Harold 
want  to  write."  He  has  never  asked  for  this  before. 
He  has  a  great  notion  of  comparing  —  i.e.,  "big  vio- 
lin, little  violin  " ;  "  big  cup,  little  cup  " ;  "  big  pin,  little 
pin,"  etc. 

March  27th. — He  was  delighted  to  sit  up  to  early 
dinner  this  evening,  and  said,  "Harold  see  papa  eat 
supper.  Harold  see  mamma  eat  supper  too.  Harold 
eat  too.  Lots  of  fun.  Lots  of  good  times." 

March  28th. — I  washed  "Tommy"  to-day,  and  when 
he  saw  him  he  noticed  it  at  once  and  said, "  New  Tom- 
my, nice  new  Tommy.  Tommy  clean."  But  first  he 
rubbed  him  with  his  hand  and  said,  "  Tommy  wet."  The 
doll  was  not  yet  dry. 

March  29th. — He  said  to-day,  "Fraid  momm}?1  lay 
down  herself."  This  is  the  first  time  he  has  said  "  her- 
self." When  he  came  in  from  his  walk,  Annie  asked 
him  what  the  gentleman  said  to  him.  He  replied  at 
once,  "  Shake  hands." 

104 


THIRD    YEAR 

He  is  very  much  interested  in  clocks,  and  insists  on 
stopping  to  see  every  clock  he  can  find  in  the  windows 
as  we  go  along.  He  rarely  misses  one,  and  keeps  on 
the  lookout  for  them  during  the  entire  time  we  are  out 
walking.  In  consequence,  we  take  quite  a  long  time  to 
walk  a  very  short  way,  for  nearly  every  window  has  a 
clock.  I  fear  it  will  soon  be  a  question  as  to  which  one 
of  us  is  the  more  clever  in  selecting  a  route — whether  it 
be  one  minus  clocks,  or  almost  so,  at  any  rate,  to  suit 
me,  or  full  of  them,  to  suit  him. 

Every  evening  when  his  father  comes  in  it  is  still  the 
same  old  story,  "  Poppee,  play  big  violin ;  Harold  play 
little  violin  " ;  and,  "  Poppee,  put  rosin  on  bow,  mamma 
dance,  Harold  play — lift  dress  and  dance,  mamma."  She 
has  danced  for  him  several  times,  to  show  him  the  mo- 
tion of  her  feet  when  waltzing. 

His  mother  was  ready  to  take  him  out  this  afternoon, 
but  had  not  yet  taken  up  her  gloves.  He  said,  "  Mam- 
ma, get  gloves."  He  seems  to  observe  every  little  thing. 
We  need  make  no  effort  to  influence  him  to  notice 
things.  He  misses  very  little,  and  seems  to  remember 
everything  he  once  sees  or  hears. 

(The  record  shows  that  when  he  was  old  enough  to 
ask  questions  about  things  that  puzzled  him,  he  remem- 
bered every  answer  he  received  with  but  one  telling. 
His  usual  form  of  questioning  at  this  age — two  years — 
was  "  What's  dat  ?") 

When  he  had  his  bath  this  evening  he  soaped  his 
hands,  washed  them,  and  dried  them  with  a  towel  I  gave 
him.  Then  he  held  them  out  to  me  and  said,  as  if  ask- 
ing me  if  it  wrere  so,  "Harold's  hands  dry?"  touching 
each  one  as  he  said  it. 

Yesterday  he  saw  a  baby  in  the  window  across  the 

105 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

street.  He  said,  "  Baby  has  white  dress  on."  I  asked 
him  if  he  wanted  to  have  a  white  one  on.  He  said,  "  No ; 
Harold  has  Aunt  Mollie's  dress  on."  This  is  the  colored 
gingham  he  prefers  to  all  his  other  dresses.  He  is  a 
sturdy  little  fellow.  It  never  makes  him  unhappy  to 
see  others  have  what  he  has  not.  (The  record  shows 
this  to  be  the  case  right  through,  and  he  was  always 
content  when  told  he  would  receive  things  he  asked  for 
"  some  day,"  because  he  was  given  reason  to  trust  those 
who  promised  him  anything.  The  record  shows  also 
that  it  was  always  found  to  be  the  best  plan  to  buy  his 
presents  when  he  was  not  along,  for  he  soon  reasoned 
out  for  himself  that  his  part  was  only  to  select  what  he 
wanted  to  have  "  some  day,"  and  care  was  taken  to  see 
that  he  frequently  received  the  things  he  selected.  For 
this  reason  he  never  gave  any  one  trouble  about  buying 
when  taken  about  to  see  things.) 

He  has  never  mentioned  color  in  this  way  before. 
He  notices  when  his  mother  has  a  black  dress  on,  say- 
ing, "  Mamma  has  black  dress  on."  He  also  asks  for 
his  "red  cap"  or  "  white  cap,"  as  the  case  may  be. 

March  31st. — This  morning,  when  Mrs.  A—  -  and  I 
were  engaged,  he  walked  up  to  his  father's  violin  with 
his  own  in  his  hand,  and  began  to  laugh  aloud,  paying 
no  attention  to  us.  As  he  laughed  he  said,  in  a  low 
voice,  "  Papa  come  home,  play  big  violin.  Papa  will 
come  home  this  evening,  play  big  violin,"  followed  by  a 
long-drawn-out  "Oh,"  and  laughing  to  himself  quietly. 
At  last  he  turned  to  us  and  repeated  the  whole  perform- 
ance in  a  very  comical  manner.  His  laughing  was  all 
pretence,  quite  noiseless,  and  not  at  all  like  his  sponta- 
neous laughter,  but  as  if  he  were  trying  to  prolong  his 
enjoyment. 

106 


THIRD    YEAR 

April  3d. — He  wanted  to  go  to  sleep  at  once  this 
evening  when  put  to  bed,  and  called  out,  "  Papa,  bet- 
ter shut  the  door."  There  was  a  slight  delay,  and  he 
said,  "  Mamma,  shut  the  door !"  emphasizing  shut  in  a 
marked  manner. 

He  saw  Annie  throw  a  kiss  to  him  with  her  hand,  and 
said,  "  Annie  put  a  hand  on  a  kiss." 

April  4th. — To-day  he  stroked  my  face,  kissed  me, 
hugged  me,  and  said,  very  lovingly,  "My  darlin' 
boy!"  He  also  said  to  his  nurse,  "Annie,  Harold's 
darlin'." 

April  Tth. — When  we  took  a  walk  to-day,  he  saw  a 
pussy  in  a  yard  across  the  way.  He  stopped,  bowed 
his  head,  and  said,  "How  do,  pussy?  Glad  to  see  you, 
pussy.  Pussy  come  and  take  a  walk." 

To-day  he  said  to  himself  the  whole  of  the  nursery 
song  "Ding  dong  dell,"  without  any  assistance.  I  asked 
him  this  morning  where  his  father  was.  He  answered 
at  once,  "  Gone  to  Filaduffia." 

April  10th. — When  out  walking  this  morning  with  his 
mother  it  grew  very  windy,  so  they  hurried  home.  As 
they  went  along  he  pulled  at  her  hand  and  said, "  Hurry 
up  fast,  mamma  " ;  then,  "  Walk  hard,  mamma,  windy," 
running  as  he  said  it. 

To-day  he  said,  "  Sit  hard,  Aunt  C ."  I  couldn't 

find  out  what  he  meant.  He  sat  down  on  the  floor 
then  to  try  to  button  his  shoes,  and  as  he  did  it  he 
leaned  over  them  very  closely  and  said,  "This  is  the 

way  Aunt  C does."  I  recognized  the  position  at 

once.  He  is  very  imitative. 

April  12thi — He  amused  himself  to-day  by  watching 
a  sprinkling- wagon  go  up  and  down  the  street.  I  heard 
him  say  to  himself  several  times  "Here  it  comes  again." 

107 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

He  also  said  to  a  sleeping  dog,  "  Get  up,  dog,"  and  to 
one  he  met,  "  How  do,  dog  ?" 

April  15th. — When  at  dinner  to-day  he  looked  around 
and,  said,  "I  see  no  apple  -  sauce."  He  likes  it  very 
much,  and  has  it  nearly  every  day  for  dinner,  but  this 
day  it  had  been  overlooked. 

This  morning,  when  he  went  to  the  window  to  see  his 
beloved  choo-choos  pass  by,  we  heard  him  say,  "  Good- 
morning,  Mrs.  Y ,"  saying  the  name  of  a  neighbor 

whom  we, thought  he  would  not  remember  from  his 
previous  visit  (he  was  away  from  home).  We  then 
saw  that  Mrs.  Y — —  was  at  her  window.  He  knew 
her  at  once,  although  he  had  not  seen  her  for  four 
months. 

Last  night  his  mother  put  him  to  bed  after  having 
dressed  to  go  in  the  rain  to  a  concert.  He  said  to  her, 
"Fraid  mamma  go  away.  Mamma  got  rubbers  on. 
Mamma  got  shoes  on.  Take  hat  off,  mamma ;  tay  with 
Harold."  All  this  was  said  in  a  very  pleading  tone. 
She  removed  her  hat  and  rubbers,  and  he  fell  asleep 
contentedly.  As  he  invariably  sleeps  until  eleven,  after 
once  getting  asleep,  he  can  be  left  without  trouble  if 
no  sign  of  going  is  given  while  he  is  awake. 

(The  record  shows  that  when  he  was  old  enough  to 
understand,  he  was  told  every  time  that  his  parents  ex- 
pected to  be  away  when  he  was  asleep.  This  was  done  to 
keep  him  free  from  any  knowledge  of  deception.  Minot 
Savage  tells  a  story  of  a  boy  in  Boston  who  said  of  his 
father  and  mother,  who  promised  him  a  ride  daily  but 
never  took  him,  "  There  go  two  of  the  biggest  liars  in 
Boston."  I  have  also  heard  of  a  child  who  evidently 
met  deception  somewhere,  who  said  that  since  liars 
wouldn't  go  to  heaven  there  wouldn't  be  many  people 

108 


NO    DATE    DRAWINGS 

A,  "a  disappearing  cannon";  B,  "a  man  having  his  hair  cut— the  boy  is  pulling  the  longhair 
of  the  woman  who  is  cutting  the  man's  hair";  C,  "ostrich  looking  back  as  he  runs";  D,  re- 
versible picture. 


THIRD    YEAR 

there ;  maybe  grandma,  but  she  was  sure  there  wouldn't 
be  any  men  there.) 

To-day  he  saw  one  of  his  white  dresses  lying  on  the 
grass  to  bleach.  He  became  very  cross  and  said  it 
would  get  dirty,  not  understanding  the  process.  He 
saw  his  beloved  colored  gingham  on  the  line  and  said, 
"Aunt  Mollies  dress  get  clean." 

He  has  been  watching  his  cousin  prepare  a  bed  for 
planting  tomatoes.  He  was  allowed  to  dig  in  the  ashes 
that  were  used.  Next  day  he  said,  "Mamma,  get 
shobel,  dig  powder,"  meaning  the  ashes,  which  to  him 
seemed  like  powder,  yet  we  do  not  know  how  he  learned 
anything  about  powder. 

April  16th. — This  morning  John  S came  in.  Har- 
old knew  him  at  once  and  went  to  him  very  soon.  They 
were  very  friendly  about  four  weeks  ago,  at  which  time 
Harold  was  very  much  pleased  with  my  explanation  of 

a  metronome  to  John  S and  J 's  cousin  who 

called  on  us  at  the  time.  John  S asked  him 

where  the  clock  was  (Harold  called  the  metronome  a 
clock).  He  replied,  "  Clock  asleep."  We  had  put  it 

out  of  sight  after  John  S left,  because  we  could 

not  easily  control  Harold's  desire  to  have  it  while 
he  could  see  it,  hence  his  own  conclusion  of  "  clock 
asleep." 

The  engines  pass  and  repass  all  day  on  the  railroad 
back  of  his  aunt's  house,  and  he  stands  at  the  window 
at  intervals  all  day  long.  He  shows  that  he  reasons,  for 
as  an  engine  passes  out  of  sight  at  one  window  he 
crosses  the  room  quickly  and  looks  for  it  from  another 
window,  from  which  the  engine  may  be  seen  as  it  turns 
a  curve  in  the  track. 

To-day  I  asked  him  if  he  wanted  to  go  to  see  his  father 

109 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

on  Friday.  He  said,  "  Don't  like  Friday."  Then  I  said 
Saturday.  He  said,  "  Yes,  go  to  see  papa,  Saturday."  I 
then  said,  "Papa  will  play  the  big  violin."  He  smiled 
and  said,  "  Harold  play  little  violin." 

April  17th. — This  morning,  as  he  was  lying  in  bed  for 
a  moment  with  his  mother,  he  said,  "  Mamma,  put  head 
on  Harold's  dry  pillow."  Some  milk  had  just  been  spilled 
on  the  end  of  the  pillow  towards  her.  He  shows  quite  a 
great  deal  of  consideration  for  her  in  many  ways.  To  en- 
courage him  in  this  he  is  always  given  some  kind  word 
or  a  kiss  in  return,  and  care  is  taken  to  let  him  see  that 
it  is  appreciated.  He  said,  afterwards, "  I  don't  want  to 
go  to  sleep,  mamma.  Get  up  and  dress  Harold."  His 
sentences  now  are  rapidly  becoming  fuller,  and  he  often 
uses  every  word  necessary  to  form  a  complete  phrase. 
Since  his  mind  is  not  so  much  occupied  with  the  big 
words — having  acquired  a  considerable  vocabulary— he 
is  beginning  to  notice  the  connections  more,  and  also 
the  little  niceties  of  accent  and  pronunciation,  yet  his 
attention  is  not  directed  to  this.  He  takes  it  all  very 
naturally  and  easily,  without  the  least  sign  of  physical 
or  mental  strain.  By  nurturing  the  physical,  he  runs 
along  mentally  so  rapidly  that  no  doubt  he  will  soon 
have  to  be  repressed  a  little  in  suggestion  in  order  to 
keep  things  even,  for  uneven  development  is  always  a 
cause  for  alarm. 

When  he  looked  out  of  the  window  this  morning  and 
saw  the  snow,  he  said,  "  Snowing,  mamma,"  pronouncing 
the  "g"  distinctly.  He  put  his  violin  between  his  knees 
to-day  in  quite  a  professional  manner,  and  said,  "  I  want 
to  wind  it  up,"  then  turned  a  peg  and  touched  a  string. 
Then  he  took  his  bow  and  drew  the  rosin  over  it  to  the 
very  end,  saying,  "This  is  the  way  that  papa  does." 

110 


1894    CUTTINGS — FOUR  YEARS   OLD 

A,  slice  ;    B,  elephant  ;    C,  a  range  with  lots  of  fire -holes  ;  D,  "a  Venice  boat,"  he  called  it, 
with  a  ventilator  and  window  ;  E,  bell. 


THIRD    YEAR 

Then  he  drew  the  bow  across  the  violin,  and  because  it 
made  no  sound  he  said,  "  Rosin  no  good." 

He  asked  me  to-day  to  sing  "Baby,  baby,  oh,  my 
darling  baby "  (Emmet's  song,  which  he  heard  for  the 
first  time  about  a  week  ago,  when  his  father  sang  it  for 
him). 

When  out  walking  with  me  this  afternoon  he  saw  a 
clock  on  a  steeple  fully  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  and 
said,  pointing  to  it,  "  There's  another  clock."  (He  gives 
frequent  evidence  of  being  far-sighted.) 

"We  called  on  some  one  to-day  who  gave  to  him  for 
amusement  a  board  of  marbles  used  for  solitaire.  The 
centre  hole,  as  usual,  had  no  marble  in  it.  The  in- 
stant Harold  saw  the  board  he  said, "  Want  anoder  one," 
went  to  the  closet  from  which  the  board  was  taken 
and  said  it  again,  looking  for  the  marble  he  thought 
was  missing.  He  observes  very  quickly.  When  we 
returned  from  there  we  stopped  in  to  see  his  metro- 
nome friend,  John  S ,  who  showed  him  a  gui- 
tar. Harold  said  at  once,  "John's  violin  got  no 
bridge  on." 

April  18th. — This  morning  when  he  waked  he  hugged 
and  kissed  his  mother,  saying  "  Mamma  " — very  lovingly 
—"have  lots  of  good  times  wif  mamma."  She  asked 
him  if  he  wanted  Annie  (his  nurse).  He  said  "  No — 
mamma,"  dwelling  on  mamma,  and  by  his  tone  intimat- 
ing that  he  preferred  to  have  her.  (He  always  seems 
so  glad  to  have  her  instead  of  the  servants  that  she 
gives  him  much  more  time  than  was  originally  planned 
for.  It  is  evident  that  it  is  better  for  him.  With  even 
the  most  faithful  service  there  is  constant  need  for  in- 
telligent and  sympathetic  supervision  at  very  short  in- 
tervals, to  watch  the  gradual  unfolding  of  a  child's 

ill 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

mind,  and  to  nurture  to  the  best  of  one's  ability  its 
physical  development.) 

April  20th. — "We  have  returned  home  again,  and  to- 
day when  Annie  left  the  room  for  her  coat  and  hat, 
while  Harold  was  waiting,  ready  for  her  to  take  him 
out,  he  said,  "  Fraid  Annie  go  out  herself,"  for  she  was 
rather  slow  in  returning.  Then  he  said,  "  See  an  ah-ah- 
ah-ah-ah,"  meaning  a  derrick,  imitating  the  noise  of  one. 
For  a  long  time  afterwards  he  called  a  derrick  by  this 
sound.  I  think  his  nurse  said  it  to  him  the  first  time, 
but  I  do  not  know.  Probably  he  tried  to  imitate  the 
sound  of  the  creaking.  His  father  protested  at  last, 
thinking  the  child  should  always  be  told  the  correct 
name  of  anything  he  noticed,  and  he  was  then  taught 
the  word  directly. 

April  21st. — This  morning  he  said,  "Want  to  see  Aunt 

M e  taking  coffee  in  next  yoom,"  remembering  his 

visit  to  New  York  two  months  ago. 

To-day  I  cut  some  paper  engines  for  him.  The  mo- 
ment he  saw  them  he  said,  "  Harold's  choo-choo."  Last 
Christmas  his  cousin  Harold  sent  him  one  cut  out  of 
paper,  and  the  last  week  of  our  recent  visit  there  he  also 
cut  some  for  him. 

April  22d.— To-day  I  had  the  little  fellow  with  me  all 
day  long.  He  was  very  docile  and  loving,  and  appeared 
to  be  perfectly  happy.  He  came  to  me  constantly  in 
between  his  play,  to  hug  and  kiss  me.  I  gave  him  a 
scissors  and  paper  for  the  first  time.  He  is  twenty-six 
months  old  now.  He  took  up  the  scissors  to  try  to  cut. 
He  knew  it  had  to  be  parted  at  the  blades,  but  he  did  not 
know  how  to  do  it,  so  I  showed  him  the  place  for  his 
thumb  and  fingers.  He  didn't  need  a  second  showing. 
For  some  time  he  tried  and  tried  to  cut,  without  success. 

112 


THIRD    YEAR 

I  let  him  alone,  watching,  however,  to  see  that  he  did 
not  stick  or  cut  himself,  for  the  scissors  was  a  small, 
sharp  -  pointed  one.  The  blunt  scissors  made  are  too 
heavy  and  too  clumsy  for  the  delicate  work  of  a  child. 
I  therefore  gave  him  a  small  embroidery  scissors,  wish- 
ing, however,  I  had  a  blunt  yet  equally  delicate  scissors. 
(It  would  no  doubt  be  possible  to  have  the  regular  em- 
broidery scissors  blunted.) 

After  he  had  struggled  for  a  long  time  with  the  scis- 
sors and  piece  of  paper,  he  announced  in  a  tone  of 
triumph,  "  Cut  a  piece !"  and  showed  me  a  piece  like  this, 
^=cd]  that  he  had  succeeded  in  cutting  off.  He  was 
very  much  elated,  and  at  last  he  started  in  to  cut  off  all 
the  projections  on  one  of  the  paper  engines  I  had  cut 
for  him.  He  cut  one  after  the  other,  saying  as  he  went 
along,  "  Harold  cut  off  whistle ;  Harold  cut  off  bell ; 
Harold  cut  off  wheel,"  etc.  When  he  reached  the  pilot 
he  looked  up  at  me  interrogatively,  and  I  said,  "  Cow- 
catcher." He  did  not  repeat  the  word  after  me.  He 
went  right  on  with  his  sentence,  "  Harold  cut  off  cow- 
catcher." His  memory  seems  to  be  very  good.  He  often 
repeats  a  word  of  three  syllables  correctly  after  hearing 
it  only  once.  After  he  had  cut  away  all  the  parts,  he 
held  up  the  body  of  the  engine  and  said  to  me  in  a  tone 
of  pity,  "  Harold  cut  off  whistle ;  engine  all  torn."  I 
asked  him  if  he  wanted  another.  He  said  "Yes,"  so  I 
gave  him  one  similar  to  the  one  he  had  cut.  I  often 
folded  paper  fourfold  before  beginning  to  cut  them  out 
for  him,  because  it  pleased  him  very  much  to  see  me 
hand  four  engines  to  him  instead  of  what  appeared  to 
be  only  one.  He  took  up  the  paper  engine  I  gave  him, 
took  his  scissors  in  his  other  hand,  looked  at  them  both, 
looked  at  me,  held  the  scissors  to  the  whistle,  and  to 

H  113 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

each  part,  and  said,  "  I  don't  want  to  cut  off  whistle ; 
I  don't  want  to  cut  off  bell;  I  don't  want  to  cut  off 
wheel ;  I  don't  want  to  cut  off  cow-catcher,"  and  he 
didn't  do  it  either.  All  this  occurred  without  my  say- 
ing a  word.  He  evidently  did  not  want  to  see  the  en- 
gine destroyed,  and  although  he  wanted  to  have  the 
pleasure  of  cutting,  he  desisted  that  he  might  not  de- 
stroy it.  (For  a  child  two  years  and  two  months  old, 
this  appears  to  be  an  exhibition  of  the  self-control  one 
should  endeavor  to  cultivate  in  children.) 

I  then  gave  him  as  a  reward  (without  saying  it  was 
such)  long  strips  of  paper  to  snip,  in  order  that  he  might 
enjoy  the  cutting  without  feeling  that  he  was  destroying 
something.  He  also  had  to-day  some  large-eyed  buttons 
and  a  long  string  threaded  in  a  bodkin.  He  found  one 
button  that  stuck  on  the  extreme  end  of  the  bodkin. 
He  held  it  towards  me  and  said,  "  I  make  a  chimney." 

Later  in  the  day  we  called  on  Mrs.  A ,  his  "  lufly 

lady."  He  saw  a  chimney  from  one  of  her  windows, 
and  said,  instantly,  "Harold  make  a  chimney,"  refer- 
ring to  the  button. 

He  also  had  some  large  screws  during  the  day.  (His 
mother  keeps  on  hand  a  supply  of  the  things  likely  to 
amuse  him,  for  he  appreciates  each  one  very  much,  and 
is  often  diverted  from  crying  by  the  production  of  a  new 
set  of  toys.)  He  played  with  the  screws  for  a  long  time, 
comparing  them  to  the  pictures  of  the  screws  in  his 
"  schliissel  book."  Then  he  put  one  in  and  out  of  his 
mouth  as  if  it  were  a  cigar,  saying,  "  This  is  the  way 
papa  mokes." 

He  had  beans  next.  These  he  put  one  by  one  in  his 
mouth.  I  said, "  No,  no."  He  blew  them  out  of  his 
mouth  in  a  very  funny  way,  and  said,  "  I  don't  want  to 

114 


THIRD    YEAR 

eat  beans."  His  mother  kissed  him  and  said, "  Mamma's 
good  boy,"  for  he  always  expects  this  when  he  obeys. 
Several  times  to-day  he  fretted  for  what  was  denied  him. 
Each  time  his  mother  said  to  him,  as  she  often,  does, 
"  Put  your  head  on  mamma's  lap  and  cry  it  out,"  which 
he  did  every  time,  crying  quietly  for  a  moment,  when 
he  would  say,  "I  don't  see  Harold."  Then  she  says, 
"  Here  he  is,"  when  he  looks  up  smiling,  many  a  time 
with  tears  still  lying  on  his  cheeks.  The  storm  is  then 
over,  and  he  will  go  on  with  his  play.  He  is  very  per- 
sistent and  strong-willed,  but  if  care  is  taken  not  to 
oppose  him  openly,  guiding  him  only  by  suggestion,  he 
shows  a  willingness  to  do  right  at  all  times.  It  ap- 
pears as  if  he  might  become  obstinate  if  he  were  treated 
harshly  or  with  less  regard  for  his  feeling  of  individual 
right,  of  which  he  shows  a  strong  sense.  (The  record 
shows  all  through  that  he  has  a  keen  sense  of  injustice 
and  a  strong  belief  in  his  own  rights,  but  it  shows  also 
that  he  believes  in  the  rights  of  others  as  much  as  his 
own,  for  he  tries  very  hard  for  a  little  fellow  to  show 
that  he  respects  them.  If  any  question  ever  does  come 
to  an  issue,  which  his  parents  try  hard  to  prevent,  they 
keep  on  patiently  until  he  obeys.  This  is  usually  very 
soon,  but  before  compelling  obedience  they  satisfy  them- 
selves that  he  is  perfectly  well,  in  order  to  avoid  nerve 
strain.  If  ill  or  restless  from  causes  for  which  he  is 
not  responsible,  they  lay  aside  all  rules  until  he  is  him- 
self again,  and  effort  is  made  to  hold  only  sufficient 
control  to  exact  instant  obedience  in  case  of  illness  or 
immediate  danger.  It  would  seem  that  this  is  all  that 
any  parent  or  person  in  charge  of  a  child  has  the  right 
to  exact  in  absolute  obedience,  and  all  so-called  discipline, 
breaking  of  the  will,  etc.,  is  to  be  deprecated,  as  breeding 

115 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

obstinacy,  deception,  nervous  conditions,  and  many  un- 
desirable qualities.  I  have  frequently  found  that  even 
bad  children  —  many  times  mistakenly  called  so — will 
respond  delightfully  to  treatment  that  is  kind  and  sym- 
pathetic, yet  perfectly  just.  The  record  also  shows  that 
Harold  had  several  playmates  at  times  who  were  con- 
sidered almost  unmanageable  at  home,  yet  in  his  nursery 
they  were  perfectly  well-behaved,  probably  in  part  owing 
to  the  opportunities  open  for  diversion  by  the  surround- 
ings offered,  but  equally,  no  doubt,  to  the  invariable  rule 
of  sending  home  all  the  children  when  one  quarrelled, 
no  matter  whether  it  was  Harold  or  one  of  his  visitors. 
Decisions  were  absolutely  impartial,  and  the  children 
all  felt  as  if  there  was  an  appeal  made  to  their  honor, 
for  they  saw  that  all  suil'ered  when  one  disobeyed.  In 
this  way  they  learned  to  play  together  for  hours  without 
dissension.  A  curious  fact,  noted  in  connection  with  the 
entire  record,  is  that  the  children  who  were  fed  properly 
and  received  proper  hygienic  care  were  the  most  docile. 
Those  who  gave  evidence  of  careless  handling  or  of  nag- 
ging by  servants  were  invariably  the  most  difficult  to 
impress  with  consideration  for  others.  Social  reformers 
may  find  this  of  interest.) 

One  day  recently  I  cut  some  large  paper  engines  and 
cars  for  him,  making  them  about  a  yard  long,  by  using 
long  pieces  of  newspaper.  I  did  not  fold  the  paper 
double,  as  I  did  before,  but  cut  each  train  separately.  He 
took  up  two  in  the  most  critical  style  without  saying  a 
word,  and  looked  first  at  the  smoke-stack  of  one,  then 
the  other,  and  so  on  with  each  part  of  each  train.  He 
seemed  satisfied,  and  put  them  down  without  a  word. 
Fortunately  I  had  cut  them  very  nearly  alike.  He  is 
very  quick  to  note  differences. 

116 


:TY 

THIRD    YEAR 

When  it  was  raining  one  day  he  looked  out  of  the  win- 
dow, and  said,  "  I  don't  see  the  sunshine."  Then  he  said 
to  a  servant  in  the  room,  "  Maggie,  look  out  and  see  the 
rain."  Just  before  that  he  had  said,  "  It's  raining  again" 
Yesterday  he  used  "  again  "  in  the  same  way.  First  he 
said, "  Here  it  comes" ;  then  a  little  later, "Here  it  comes 
again."  He  came  to  his  mother  to-day  and  said,  "  Sit 
on  mamma's  lap."  She  lifted  him  up.  He  then  said, 
"  Sing,  mamma."  She  sang  a  song  from  Elliott's  Mother 
Goose,  which  was  always  used,  because  the  harmonies 
are  sufficiently  beautiful  to  cultivate  a  taste  for  good 
music.  He  then  said,  "  Harold  sing,"  and  he  joined  in 
her  song,  piping  up  his  little  voice  as  high  as  he  could 
get  it,  singing  all  the  words  of  the  song  she  was  singing. 
He  appears  to  know  the  words  now  of  all  these  songs. 
She  then  sang  a  dance  song,  and  he  stood  up  on  his  bed, 
held  his  skirts  with  both  hands,  and  swayed  back  and 
forth,  saying,  "  See  Harold  dance."  He  did  not  move 
his  feet,  but  kept  perfect  time  with  his  body  movement. 

He  heard  Mrs.  A play  a  waltz  later  in  the  day,  and 

he  beat  time  correctly  with  his  hands,  never  missing 
the  rhythm  as  she  changed  from  one  part  to  another. 

Mrs.  -  — ,  who  plays  exquisitely,  was  here  the  other 
day,  and  while  she  was  playing  something  with  marked 
rhythm  he  begged  to  go  near  to  her.  He  had  previous- 
ly refused  to  go  to  her,  and  no  amount  of  persuasion 
would  induce  him  even  to  look  at  her  at  first.  He  was 
carried,  however,  to  the  next  room,  and  he  showed  inter- 
est in  the  music  when  he  was  placed  by  her  side.  He 
closed  his  eyes  that  he  might  not  see  her,  but  moved 
his  body  in  his  mother's  arms  in  perfect  accord  with 
the  music,  and  said,  "  Mamma,  dance."  At  last  he 
begged  to  go  into  the  next  room  and  be  rocked  and 

117 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

soothed.  It  appeared  as  though  he  needed  to  be 
soothed  because  he  had  been  under  two  opposing  in- 
fluences—his love  for  the  music,  and  his  feeling  against 

the  performer.  When  Mrs. had  finished  playing 

she  spoke  of  his  keen  sense  of  rh}7thm.  He  begged 
his  mother  to  hold  him  for  a  long  time,  which  is  unusual, 
and  then  said,  "  Mamma,  sing  a  song  of  fixpence,"  and 
seemed  to  be  himself  again. 

(Compare  this  experience  with  his  different  action  at 
four  months  in  Chapter  L,  page  16,  when  Handel's  Largo 
and  Raff's  concertos  were  played  in  his  hearing.) 

One  day  I  gave  one  of  my  visiting-cards  to  him.  He 
has  had  none  since  we  gave  him  one  two  months  ago 

with  Dr.  T 's  name  on  it,  which  we  read  to  him  at  the 

time.  He  kept  Dr.  T 's  card  at  that  time  among  his 

toys  for  several  days,  always  calling  it  by  name.  The 
card  I  gave  him  to-day  was  larger  than  the  original 
size  he  first  saw,  yet  he  noted  the  resemblance  at  once, 
for  he  said  "  Dr.  T 's  card."  When  I  gave  him  an- 
other of  mine  he  said  the  same  thing. 

When  he  doesn't  feel  very  well  now  he  says,  "  Harold 
has  a  pain,  poor  dearie;  mamma's  dearie.  Pain  soon 
all  over,"  in  the  most  compassionate  tone.  He  is  very 
brave  about  bumps.  He  always  sympathizes  with  the 
thing  bumped  into  instead  of  thinking  of  himself.  We 
have  encouraged  this  in  order  to  get  him  into  the  habit 
of  looking  away  from  himself  at  the  world  about  him 
instead  of  becoming  introspective  and  self-conscious- 
He  even  goes  so  far  as  to  kiss  the  pavement,  if  he  falls 
on  the  street,  and  say  "  Poor  pavement !"  We  never 
check  him  in  this  even,  for  fear  of  starting  the  tide 
the  wrong  way.  It  seems  that  it  is  in  just  these  tri- 
fling things  that  the  great  value  of  the  "  letting  alone  " 

118 


THIRD    YEAR 

with  supervision  system  becomes  apparent.  Evidently 
the  nearer  one  can  get  a  child  to  a  regular  habit  of  ac- 
tion under  certain  circumstances,  taking  it  for  granted 
that  the  habit  aimed  at  is  a  desirable  one,  the  easier 
it  is  to  take  care  of  that  child  physically,  morally, 
and  mentally.  (The  record  shows  that  the  effort  of 
trying  to  establish  a  regular  habit  of  action  for  body, 
mind,  and  spirit  resulted  in  a  remarkable  happy  life 
for  the  little  fellow.  He  thinks  everybody  loves  him, 
and  with  rare  exceptions  he  loves  everybody.) 

Last  week,  after  having  let  forbidden  things  alone  for 
a  long  time,  he  touched  the  little  tea-set  in  the  dining- 
room  that  had  first  attracted  him.  His  mother  followed 
him  and  said,  "  No,  no,"  doing  just  as  was  done  before. 
He  persisted,  however,  in  taking  off  the  lids  that  pleased 
him  so  much.  She  then  said,  "  Shall  mamma  tie  Harold's 
hands  up  ?"  He  said  "  Yes,"  not  really  knowing  what 
she  meant.  She  did  this  very  lightly  and  gently  with 
her  handkerchief,  but  more  in  fun  than  for  discipline. 
He  was  very  much  surprised.  He  had  no  idea  what  tie 
meant,  or  else  he  thought  it  wouldn't  be  done,  for  if  it  can 
be  avoided  he  is  not  punished  in  a  way  to  make  him  feel 
that  he  is  punished.  He  is  allowed  to  reason  out  cause 
and  effect  when  he  has  done  wrong,  and  he  is,  conse- 
quently, very  reasonable  when  he  understands  matters. 
When  he  saw  his  hands  tied  he  began  to  cry,  and  said, 
"  No  tie  Harold's  hands  up."  He  nearly  always  says 
"  no  "  at  the  beginning  of  a  sentence,  instead  of  saying, 
for  instance,  "  Do  not  tie,"  etc.  His  mother  said,  "  Well, 
go  to  papa,  and  tell  him  you  are  sorry  and  will  not  do 
it  again,  and  ask  him  to  take  it  off."  He  did  so,  saying  "  I 
sorry,"  when  his  father,  with  a  kiss,  removed  the  hand- 
kerchief. I  suppose  he  didn't  even  know  what  sorry 

119 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

meant,  but,  once  begun,  even  if  in  play,  the  affair  had  to 
be  carried  out  to  the  end,  although  his  mother  really  did 
not  mean  at  the  time  to  teach  him  instantly  and  in  this 
way  that  he  must  not  touch  the  china.  It  was  her  in- 
tention when  she  saw  him  touch  it  to  let  him  handle  it 
carefully  in  her  presence  and  appeal  to  his  love  for  her 
to  let  it  alone  when  she  was  not  there,  which  he  would 
have  done,  for  he  is  always  amenable  to  treatment  of  this 
character.  Unwittingly,  however,  this  lesson  was  learned 
in  another  way,  and  probably  no  harm  was  done,  but 
care  is  taken  that  even  in  play  nothing  is  done  to 
make  him  afraid.  He  now  walks  to  the  china  set, 
looks  at  it,  and  says,  "No,  no,  mamma  tie  Harold's 
hands  up,"  and  it  hurts  her  every  time  he  does  it.  She 
often  goes  to  him  and  kisses  him  and  says,  "  No,  no, 
Harold  is  mamma's  good  boy  who  doesn't  need  to  have 
his  hands  tied  up." 

(The  record  shows  that  about  a  year  later  she  chas- 
tised him,  very  lightly,  it  is  true,  but  still  she  laid  her 
hand  upon  him  in  a  moment  of  vexation,  evidently  as 
much  to  her  own  surprise  as  to  his,  for  she  realized  her 
mistake,  and  promised  never  to  do  it  again.  The  little 
fellow  seemed  to  love  and  trust  her  more  and  more  from 
that  day  on,  and  what  appeared  to  be  his  proudest 
boast  afterwards  to  his  playmates  was,  "Mamma  never 
whips  me."  He  never  knew  what  whip  meant  until  he 
heard  other  boys  use  the  word.  Nor  did  he  ever  hear 
the  word  "  naughty,"  to  know  what  it  meant,  except  in 
the  one  instance  mentioned  (page  54),  until  he  began 
playing  with  outside  children.  To  control  matters  like 
these  it  was  a  well -understood  thing  that  if  servants 
spoke  of  forbidden  subjects  in  the  hearing  of  the  little 
fellow,  it  would  be  considered  sufficient  cause  for  dis- 

120 


G 


NO    DATE    DRAWINGS 

A.  man  looking  through  telescope;  B,  naptha  launch;  C,  cannon  —  a,  explosion,  b,  ball; 
D— a,  Harold's  copy  of  b  ;  E,  hospital,  doctor,  nurse,  patient,  and  visitor  ;  F.  gun  shooting  a  man  ; 
G,  '-boys  sledding  by  moonlight— a  is  hill  they  had  to  go  over";  H,  pussy's  face  ;  I,  figures  for 
his  toy  theatre  ;  J,  steamboat,  and  two  negroes  in  a  rowboat  ;  K — a,  gun  with  bayonet  ;  ^ham- 
mer of  pistol  ;  L.  his  idea  of  a  machine  for  generating  electricity  to  run  trolley-cars — a,  engine 
making  it  ;  b,  trolley  ;  c,  c,  wires  from  engine  to  switches  and  batteries  ;  d,  d,  conductor  of  power 
to  car  ;  e,  switches  and  batteries  ;  M,  sea  serpents  after  fish  and  boat. 


THIRD    YEAR 

charge.  As  a  counterpoise  to  the  care  and  gentleness 
required  of  the  servants,  many  unexpected  privileges  were 
granted  them  through  the  medium  of  the  child,  with 
whom  they  naturally  associated  these  pleasures,  thus 
keeping  a  kindly  feeling  for  him  in  spite  of  the  extra 
care  required  of  them  for  his  sake.) 

Diversion  is  a  great  aid  in  getting  Harold  out  of 
little  tempers.  He  is  keenly  alive  to  anything  that  is 
humorous  or  that  possesses  the  least  element  of  fun. 
When  any  one  succeeds  in  making  him  laugh  he  forgets 
his  anger.  I  notice  that  he  laughs  quicker  at  an  attempt 
to  do  something  and  missing  it  than  at  anything  else. 
When  putting  on  his  overshoes,  for  instance,  his  nurse 
has  a  habit  of  pretending  that  she  has  pushed  so  hard 
that  the  rubber  flies  to  the  other  end  of  the  room.  This 
always  brings  a  peal  of  laughter.  Once  in  a  great  while, 
when  he  is  ailing  or  fretful,  and  we  have  a  hard  time  to 
bathe  or  dress  him,  she  will  pretend  to  hang  something 
on  a  nail  that  is  apparently  just  a  little  too  high  for  her 
to  reach.  She  will  jump  at  it  and  miss  it  at  the  most 
important  period  of  my  work,  and  will  do  this  possibly 
two  or  three  times  while  I  am  getting  him  ready  for 
bed.  She  thus  gives  me  the  greatest  possible  amount 
of  comfort  by  her  faithfulness  and  quick  comprehen- 
sion, and  has  given  a  bridge  many  a  time  for  getting 
over  troublesome  places  by  her  quick  adaptation  to  the 
little  needs  constantly  arising.  This  is  the  true  spirit 
of  Froebel,  and  she  lives  with  the  child  in  his  play,  for 
she  has  leisure  and  aptitude  and  enjoys  the  fun  as  much 
as  he  does.  He  is  very  quick  to  see  when  the  spirit 
is  lacking,  and  he  will  not  suffer  any  attempt  at  a  make- 
believe  liking  of  play.  He  wants  the  genuine  love  for 
it  every  time. 

121 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

We  never  let  him  cry  if  we  can  help  it.  A  well- 
trained  and  healthy  baby  does  not  want  to  cry,  for  he  is 
sufficiently  occupied  in  trying  to  find  out  the  meaning  of 
the  world  about  him.  Experience  has  shown  what  his 
cry  means  at  different  times.  When  he  is  angry  we  keep 
away,  and  then  go  to  him  as  if  nothing  had  happened 
when  it  is  over.  He  always  wants  us  for  "  lots  of  good 
times,"  as  he  calls  them,  so  he  quickly  dries  his  angry 
tears.  If  he  is  hungry,  we  give  him  his  food  if  it  is 
near  his  regular  time,  or,  if  not  quite  near  enough,  we 
prepare  it  in  his  presence  very  deliberately,  gaining  all 
the  time  we  can  by  the  interest  he  shows  in  the  work  as 
we  go  along,  and  which  has  a  tendency  to  stop  his  cry- 
ing. He  rarely  gets  hungry,  however,  between  meals, 
for  he  is  accustomed  to  method  as  to  time  and  quan- 
tity in  the  way  of  feeding.  When  he  is  ill  and  cries,  we 
can  always  tell  it  at  once,  and  we  find  that  this  cry 
means  that  instant  relief  of  some  kind  is  needed.  He 
has  a  peculiar  little  cry,  almost  a  gasp,  it  might  be 
called,  when  he  is  giving  up  the  battle  after  he  has  been 
crying  from  anger.  It  often  comes  just  when  we  are  seri- 
ously considering  whether  we  might  not  in  that  instance 
give  up  to  him,  and  it  always  brings  relief.  It  is  certainly 
true  that  a  mother  has  as  much  occasion  for  self-disci- 
pline as  has  her  child.  He  is  very  quick  to  see  a  chance 
of  gaining  a  victory,  and  he  sometimes  uses  it  merci- 
lessly, when  I  leave  him  alone  to  keep  myself  strong, 
and  he  will  then  yield  gracefully  and  very  lovingly, 
coming  after  me  at  once.  I  notice  that  when  I  keep  all 
sound  of  coercion  out  of  my  voice  in  giving  him  direc- 
tions, he  is  willing  to  do  as  I  say.  Were  I  to  command 
him,  he  would  become  antagonistic  at  once,  and  be  hard 
to  control.  I  found  this  out  by  an  experience  that  need 

122 


THIRD    YEAR 

not  be  repeated  if  his  rights  to  consideration  will  be 
respected  as  being  equal  to  my  own.  Because  any  one 
happens  to  be  in  authority  is  no  reason  why  it  should  be 
exercised  unnecessarily.  The  strongest  character  is  the 
one  that  does  not  take  an  unfair  advantage  of  oppor- 
tunity. It  is  hard  to  comprehend  why  so  many  parents 
think  it  necessary  to  scold  children  when  they  are,  as 
they  suppose,  training  them.  It  inclines  too  much  to 
the  methods  used  when  training  animals  to  act  in  the 
circus-ring  to  appeal  to  wisdom.  Intelligent  and  loving 
obedience  to  the  wishes  of  considerate  parents  is  a 
beautiful  thing  to  witness,  and  it  must  be  productive  of 
great  good  in  the  development  of  character.  Abject 
obedience,  however,  in  response  to  commands  that  are 
given  without  rhyme  or  reason,  by  parents  or  servants, 
just  as  it  may  happen,  is  something  to  be  banished 
completely  from  nursery  training,  if  the  moral  de- 
velopment of  the  child  is  desired.  Let  mothers  beware 
of  giving  absolute  authority  into  the  hands  of  any 
one. 

(The  record  shows  that  no  one  but  the  parents  were 
allowed  to  use  any  authority  over  Harold,  and  even  his 
father  frequently  sent  the  little  chap  to  "  ask  mamma," 
in  the  mutual  effort  to  keep  authority  in  one  direction 
only,  for  the  purpose  before  stated — of  possible  future 
use.  There  seemed  to  be  very  little  occasion  for  the 
exercise  of  this  authority  in  his  ordinary  life,  for  a 
suggestion  or  an  expressed  wish  was  usually  sufficient. 
When  that  failed,  an  appeal  to  his  reason  or  love  in- 
variably ended  the  matter.  He  always  seemed  to  feel 
that  he  was  expected  to  do  right.) 

April  23d. — This  morning  at  breakfast  Harold  said, 
"  Papa,  eat  her  egg."  I  said,  "  No,  papa  eat  his  egg." 

123 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

He  repeated  it  after  me,  and  some  time  afterwards  said 
it  over  twice,  very  carefully,  emphasizing  his. 

He  is  beginning  to  say  "I"  much  more  frequently 
than  before.  When  he  waked  this  morning  he  crept 
over  into  his  mother's  bed  as  usual,  hugged  her,  and 
said,  "  Have  lots  of  good  times  wif  mamma." 

April  29th. — To-day,  when  in  Mrs.  A 's  room,  he 

suddenly  dropped  his  toys  and  came  to  me  in  an  excited 
way,  begging  to  be  held  and  rocked.  As  I  rocked  him  he 
kept  saying,  "  Don't  like  it ;  go  down-tairs.  Don't  like 
it;  go  down-tairs."  ~YVe  couldn't  understand  what  the 
trouble  was  until  I  saw  a  screw-top  bottle  standing  on 
the  dressing-table,  and  then  I  understood  it  all.  The 
poor  child  cannot  get  over  the  recollection  of  the  ether- 
bottle.  It  took  some  time  to  pacify  him,  and  it  could 
not  be  done  until  I  took  him  out  of  the  room.  As  we 
left  he  looked  excited,  his  face  was  flushed,  and  he  said 
again,  "  Don't  like  the  bottle." 

Ever  since,  every  time  he  hears  the  door-bell,  he  puts 
his  hand  to  his  face  and  says,  "Doctor  won't  hurt 
you." 

April  30th. — To-day  he  told  me,  without  crying  or 
showing  any  disturbance  whatever,  that  he  had  hurt 
himself  at  the  door.  I  discovered  that  he  had  done  so 
some  time  earlier  in  the  day.  He  often  bears  suffering 
without  flinching,  but  yesterday  when  he  rolled  down  a 
few  steps,  he  came  to  me  crying  and  said,  "  Harold  fall 
down  ee  steps  and  hurt  hisself."  Later  he  told  me  this 
again.  I  then  said,  "  Harold  should  have  sat  down  be- 
fore trying  to  creep  down  the  steps."  He  promptly  sat 
down  on  the  floor  and  looked  up  at  me,  evidently  not 
understanding  my  meaning,  and  I  do  not  wonder  that 
he  did  not  when  I  analyze  my  sentence. 

124 


THIRD    YEAR 

May  4th. — To-day,  as  we  passed  a  toy-store,  I  let  him 
go  in  and  select  a  toy  for  himself.  He  took  a  calliope 
on  wheels,  and  pushed  it  all  the  way  home,  a  distance 
of  about  four  blocks.  When  we  reached  home  he  sat 
on  the  floor  and  held  the  toy  so  that  he  could  turn  the 
wheels  to  make  the  music.  He  had  evidently  studied 
out  for  himself  on  the  way  home,  by  alternately  mov- 
ing and  stopping  the  toy,  that  the  moving  wheels  caused 
the  music,  for  he  had  never  seen  one  before.  He  then 
went  to  the  machine-drawer  for  a  screw-driver,  returned 
to  his  toy,  and  tried  to  take  out  the  nail  that  held  the 
handle  which  was  in  his  way  when  turning  the  wheel 
in  his  lap.  He  asked  me  to  do  it  when  he  found  he 
couldn't  manage  it.  A  curious  thing  I  notice  about  him 
is  that  he  does  not  care  for  toys  simply  because  they  are 
toys.  He  has  frequently  refused  them,  one  after  the 
other,  when  offered  any  from  a  selection  in  a  toy-shop. 
"When  he  finds  one  that  to  him  seems  to  have  a  purpose 
he  will  gladly  take  it.  He  has  often  surprised  shop- 
keepers by  leaving  without  taking  anything  that  he 
could  have  within  his  limit.  He  usually  has  the  amount 
limited  before  he  goes  in — as,  for  instance, "  Harold,  you 
may  have  a  quarter,  a  half-dollar,  or  a  dime  to-day," 
and  he  is  content  to  keep  within  his  limit.  (The  record 
shows  that  when  he  was  older  he  would  save  until  he 
had  enough  money  to  buy  something  of  importance — as, 
for  instance,  a  tool-chest,  a  tricycle,  or  an  express-wagon, 
and  it  was  always  for  something  that  he  could  make  use 
of.  He  was  never  allowed  to  receive  money  from  any 
one  but  his  parents.) 

He  is  allowed  to  choose  for  himself  as  often  as  pos- 
sible in  matters  that  relate  to  himself  only  as  an 
individual,  but  care  is  taken  to  indicate  to  him  the 

125 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

probable  result  if  he  should  make  a  wrong  selection. 
The  greater  part  of  his  regular  amusement  comes 
from  finding  out  and  playing  with  the  things  he  finds 
about  the  house  —  i.e.,  clothes  -  pins,  blocks,  pictures, 
kitchen  utensils,  etc.  Very  few  toys  are  purchased  for 
him  that  have  no  purpose,  and  he  never  receives  many 
at  a  time. 

Last  evening  I  heard  him  sing  "  Ding  Dong  Bell "  all 
the  way  through,  using  the  right  words  and  singing  the 
melody  correctly. 

He  heard  us  speaking  of  a  cat  to-day.  He  instantly 
said,  "  Crumpety  and  lame,"  associating  cat  with  Moth- 
er Tabby  Skins  in  Mother  Goose.  He  often  tells  his 
mother  to  "  Look  (at)  sunshine,  mamma."  He  evidently 
loves  it  very  much. 

May  8th. — To-day  when  he  saw  me  take  up  his  gold- 
link  dress  buttons,  he  said  "  Hadn't  for  a  long  time,"  and 
repeated  it  to  a  little  playmate.  He  has  not  seen  them 
for  a  long  time.  He  heard  the  door-bell  ring.  The  ser- 
vant down-stairs  had  forgotten  to  turn  off  the  connec- 
tion, and  the  bell  outside  of  the  nursery  door  rang  too. 
This  happens  frequently,  and  annoys  us  very  much.  He 
said,  "Did  you  hear  dat  bell  ring?  Maggie,  turn  dat 
bell  off." 

His  first  greeting  to  any  playmates  coming  in  is, 
"  Come,  build  a  house,"  taking  their  hands  and  leading 
them  to  his  toys. 

May  10th. — To-day  he  found  his  little  photograph- 
book,  which  he  has  not  had  for  some  time.  He  seized 
it  eagerly,  and  said,  "  Have  it  for  a  long  time,"  meaning 
that  he  didn't  "  have  it  for  a  long  time." 

May  14th. — To-day  he  was  out  all  the  afternoon.  We 
took  a  long  ride  on  the  street-car,  to  an  extreme  end  of 

126 


THIRD    YEAR 

town.  He  gave  a  sigh  of  satisfaction  and  said,  "  Had 
a  lovely  ride  on  the  treet-car."  He  now  says  "  treet " 
sometimes,  instead  of  "steet,"  as  formerly.  Evidently 
he  cannot  manage  the  r  and  s  together.  He  then  drew 
me  in  the  right  direction  and  said,  "  See  the  choo- 
choos."  "We  had  been  to  this  place  about  a  week  before, 
when  he  saw  some  large  engines,  and  remembered  it. 

May  15th. — To-day  he  went  to  the  sewing-machine 
and  touched  every  moving  part.  He  touched  no  part 
that  was  stationary. 

May  16th. — We  returned  to  the  country  to-day  for 
the  summer.  As  we  crossed  the  bridge  leading  to  our 
street  he  kept  saying,  "  Want  to  see  Bahdee,  Bahdee, 
Bahdee."  (The  name  of  the  cat  he  left  behind  when  he 
went  to  town,  four  months  before.) 

May  17th. — He  said  to  his  father  this  morning,  "  I  see 
a  little  baby  in  papa's  eye,"  meaning  his  own  reflection. 

I  gave  him  some  water  to  pour  from  cup  to  cup.  He 
then  asked  for  a  little  pitcher  belonging  to  him,  evi- 
dently preferring  to  pour  from  that.  When  I  gave  it  to 
him  he  said,"  Dear  little  white  pitcher."  He  still  shows 
a  great  liking  for  white  things. 

He  now  helps  me  put  away  one  set  of  playthings  be- 
fore bringing  out  another.  If  I  help  very  little  and 
loiter,  to  try  him,  he  will  do  much  more  than  his  share 
of  the  work  without  seeming  to  notice  that  he  has  done 
nearly  all  himself. 

In  June  he  took  up  a  postal-card  and  said,  "  I  want  to 
write  a  postal -card.  Write  a  postal -card  to  Annie." 
(The  nurse  we  had  in  town,  who  has  gone  away.) 

When  we  were  walking  along  the  street  to-day  he 
picked  up  a  stick  shaped  like  this,  ^^\,  and  called  it  a 
"  tick,  tack,  too."  He  found  another,  and  said,  "  Here's 

127 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

another  tick,  tack,  too."  Later,  when  we  were  looking 
at  a  scrap-book,  he  saw  some  cards  with  crosses  like  this, 

1 — ,  and  he  said, "  Tick,  tack,  too,  again,"  and  said, 

"  "Want  to  see  more  tick,  tack,  toos."  He  picked  out 
every  picture  that  had  a  cross.  He  also  picked  up  a 
half-broken  match  that  looked  like  this,  ^--^,  and  he 
said,  "  Tick,  tack—"  Then  he  stopped  and  said,  "  That's 
a  hammer."  I  then  noticed  his  association  with  the 
illustration  of  the  nursery  song : 

"Is  John  Smith  within? 
Yes,  that  he  is. 
Can  he  nail  a  shoe  ? 
Aye,  marry  two. 
Here's  a  nail,  there's  a  nail, 

Tick,  tack,  too. 
Here's  a  nail,  there's  a  nail, 

Tick,  tack,  too." 

The  illustration  to  the  song  represents  a  man  holding  a 
hammer  that  is  not  unlike  a  picture  of  a  cross,  and  he 
noticed  the  resemblance  to  all  the  things  he  had  just 
called  "  tick,  tack,  too." 

August  4th. — To-day,  while  I  was  reading,  I  heard 
him  say  to  himself  as  we  lay  on  the  floor : 

"He  brushed  his  teeth  with  carpet  tacks, 
Polly,  wolly  doodle  all  a  day." 

He  heard  it  in  June,  when  in  New  York,  two  months 
ago. 

Day  before  yesterday  he  said,  "  Dr. come  to  see 

Baby  -      -  (a  little  friend  of  his) ;  put  him  on  table. 

Baby see  what  in  Dr. 's  satchel.    What  did  Dr. 

(mentioning  another  physician)  do  with  satchel? 

Dr. (mentioning  the  first  one)  has  choo-choo  in 

128  • 


THIRD    YEAR 

satchel  for  Baby ."  It  was  said  to  himself  in  a  very 

meditative  manner,  with  no  apparent  fear  or  excite- 
ment, more  than  a  year  after  the  time  he  was  so  im- 
pressed with  the  ether-bottle. 

(From  now  on  all  records  other  than  cuttings  and 
drawings  were  taken  at  longer  intervals  than  before, 
yet  they  serve  to  show  the  growth  made  during  the 
time  no  record  was  taken.  It  was  during  this  period 
that  the  child  was  busy  with  scissors  and  pencil,  giving 
concrete  results  of  a  method  of  training  that  evidently 
excited  self-activity  to  a  great  degree.) 

September  23d. — This  morning  I  directed  Harold's 
attention  to  half  a  dozen  sparrows  on  a  roof  near  by. 
They  flew  away  one  by  one,  and  left  only  two,  then  one, 
then  the  last  one  went.  He  turned  to  me  and  said,  "He 
got  too  much  alone,  he  flew  away,"  recalling  the  song  of 

"Three  crows  there  were  once  who  sat  on  a  stone, 

Fal-la,  la-la,  la-la ; 
But  two  flew  away  and  then  there  was  one, 

Fal-la,  la-la,  la-la. 
The  other  crow  felt  so  timid  alone, 

Fal-la,  la-la,  la-la, 
That  he  flew  away  and  then  there  was  none, 

Fal-la,  la-la,  la- la." 

This  morning  he  told  his  father  he  had  cried  last  night. 
His  father  asked  him  why.  He  said  he  wanted  to  see 
him  take  doggie  out  walking,  which  was  the  true  state 
of  affairs.  He  has  not  the  slightest  fear  of  his  father, 
and  looks  upon  him  in  the  light  of  a  delightful  playmate. 
He  has  often  begged  his  mother  during  the  day  to 
promise  to  let  him  have  him  "  all  alone  "  until  his  bed- 
time. If  she  promises,  and  forgets  to  allow  him  his 
father's  undivided  attention,  he  invariably  reminds  her 

i  129 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

of  it  in  a  very  much  injured  tone.  He  seems  to  feel  that 
he  never  has  enough  time  with  him,  and  he  counts  Sun- 
days from  the  Monday  previous,  saying,  "  How  many 
days,  mamma,  to  Sunday  ?" 

This  morning  he  tripped  over  a  newspaper,  and  said 
to  his  mother,  "  I  didn't  mean  to  do  that,  mamma." 
When  being  dressed  he  waved  his  foot  with  a  long  white 
stocking  partly  on,  and  said,  "This  is  a  boat  with  a 
sail."  He  looked  out  of  the  window  and  saw  a  grocer 
boy  coming  in.  He  called,  "Hello,  Gordon!"  then  said, 
"  Must  go  down  to  see  Gordon."  This  same  boy  draws 
pictures  of  some  sort  for  him  every  morning.  He  be- 
gan it  voluntarily,  and  after  that  Harold  insisted  upon 
having  one  daily.  He  generally  asks  for  an  engine. 

September  24th. — This  morning,  when  he  showed  me 
his  father's  watch,  I  said,  in  a  tone  of  surprise,  "  Is  it 
twenty  minutes  of  nine?"  He  dangled  the  watch  a 
minute,  and  then  returning  to  his  father,  he  said,  in  a 
very  sedate  way,  "  This  watch  is  slow,  papa." 

November  6th. — This  morning  when  I  was  putting 
him  to  sleep  at  nap-time,  I  placed  him  on  the  bed  and 
left.  I  returned  a  moment  later,  when  he  evidently  did 
not  expect  me,  for  he  was  creeping  back  to  bed  and  say- 
ing to  himself,  "  I  promise  you  I  won't  creep  off  the  bed 
again;  that's  right;  that's  a  good  boy.  You  will  for- 
give me."  He  seems  to  know  as  well  as  we  do  when 
he  is  doing  wrong,  and  if  we  give  him  half  a  chance  he 
rights  matters  himself. 

(The  record  shows  that  as  he  grew  older  he  took 
great  pains  to  tell  his  mother  several  times  that  he 
wanted  to  do  right  because  it  was  right  to  do  so.  One 
time  he  was  found  crying  because  he  had  transgressed. 
She  said, "  Never  mind,  Harold,  you  were  a  little  bit  care- 

130 


THIRD    YEAE 

less  this  time;  do  better  next  time."  And  he  replied, 
between  his  sobs,  " But  I  don't  want  to  be  careless" 
He  could  not  be  diverted  until  his  sense  of  fun  was 
aroused.  Then  he  had  a  romp,  and  forgot  all  about  it.) 

Yesterday  he  couldn't  at  first  take  upon  his  spoon 
some  cranberry-sauce  that  he  was  eating.  He  carefully 
scraped  it  to  the  middle  of  the  dish,  and  taking  a  crust 
of  bread  pushed  it  on  the  spoon.  He  shows  himself 
equal  to  the  occasion  many  times,  and  he  always  pre- 
fers to  help  himself  if  he  can  do  it.  We  do  not  offer  to 
do  anything  for  him  that  we  see  he  is  equal  to,  for  he 
is  very  ready  to  come  to  us  for  assistance  when  he  wants 
it,  for  we  never  turn  him  away,  and  thus  we  gain  leisure 
and  he  strength  by  letting  him  do  for  himself. 

He  has  shown  a  disposition  lately  to  get  out  of  his 
crib  at  nap -time,  with  the  hope  of  inducing  me  to  let 
him  off,  so  I  resort  to  pulling  the  crib  away  from  every 
piece  of  furniture  in  the  room  upon  which  he  can  pos- 
sibly step  as  he  tries  to  get  out.  To  do  this  I  pull  it 
down  into  the  middle  of  the  room  before  putting  him 
in,  when  he  says,  "  Pull  crib  down  the  middle  because 
Harold  was  bad  boy  to  get  out  of  bed."  He  howls 
sometimes  when  he  sees  me  do  it,  but  he  always  goes 
to  sleep  at  once  when  it  is  done.  It  is  really  very  amus- 
ing. I  wonder  if  he  thinks  he  can't  get  out.  He  climbs 
all  over  it  in  every  way  during  the  day.  Maybe  it  is 
"moral  suasion"  that  influences  him,  or  he  may  realize 
that  I  intend  that  he  shall  go  to  sleep,  and  accommo- 
dates himself  to  circumstances.  But  I  often  wonder 
why  he  doesn't  get  out,  for  he  could  easily  do  it. 

Some  time  ago  he  saw  two  of  his  engines  heading  in 
opposite  directions.  He  pointed  to  one  and  said,  "  This 

one  is  going  to  C n  Avenue  Station,  and  this  one  to 

131 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

G e  Avenue  Station,"  mentioning  the  two  stations 

between  which  we  live.  He  pointed  in  the  right  direc- 
tion each  time.  He  also  knows  in  which  direction  to 
look  for  "  papa's  train  from  town." 

December  3d. — To-day,  for  the  first  time,  he  drew  a 
"choo-choo"  himself.  (See  illustration  opposite.)  As 
he  drew  it  he  explained  each  part,  as  noted,  and  handled 
his  pencil  very  rapid Jy.  He  is  just  two  years  and  ten 
months  old. 

February  1,  1893.  —  This  morning  he  said  to  me, 
"  May  I  walk  over  to  call  papa  ?"  I  said  "  Yes."  He 
jumped  out  of  bed,  and,  carrying  his  pencils  and  his  be- 
loved "schliissel  book"  under  his  arm,  he  went  through 
the  hall,  singing  out  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  Old  rags, 
old  rags,  any  old  rags  to-day?'.'  When  he  had  called 
his  father  he  ran  away  from  him  all  around  the  room, 
as  if  in  mischief,  and  wouldn't  even  allow  him  to  lift 
him  upon  the  bed,  where  he  usually  sits  and  watches 
him  dress,  and  keeps  up  a  running  fire  of  comments 
and  questions  that  are  very  amusing.  As  soon  as  he 
saw  his  mother  come  he  let  her  place  him  on  the  bed 
and  cover  him.  He  evidently  looks  to  her  for  discipline 
and  to  his  father  for  pure  fun,  which  is  as  it  should  be. 
He  loves  her  dearly,  but  as  he  sees  her  so  much  more 
frequently  than  he  sees  his  father,  it  seems  a  pity  to 
spoil  one  minute  of  the  time  they  are  together  by  an 
attempt  to  assert  authority. 

(The  record  shows  that  as  he  grew  older  he  often 
spoke  of  the  good  times  he  would  have  with  mamma 
and  papa  when  he  got  big  enough  to  take  care  of  them. 
He  once  told  me,  after  having  heard  fairy-stories  about 
princes  and  marriage,  that  when  he  got  married  he 
would  live  with  mamma,  as  he  would  never  want  to 

132 


THE    FIRST    CHOO-CHOO 

lf>92    AND    1893    DRAWINGS    AND    CUTTINGS — THE    CHILD'S    EARLIEST    EFFORTS 

His  explanation   of  "the  first  choo-ohoo  "  was  :   A,  smoke-stack;   B,  sand-box  ;   C, 
steam-drum ;    D,  cab;   E  E,  one  line  for  boiler;   F  F  F  F,  wheels. 


THIRD    YEAR 

leave  her.  One  of  his  greatest  anticipated  delights  was 
that  when  he  would  be  ten  years  old  he  could  go  to 
"  papa's  office"  and  take  the  letters  to  the  post-office. 
This  wish  on  his  part  gave  rise  to  a  story  that  I  told 

him — "  When  H is  ten  years  old,  what  will  he  do  ?" 

—and  which  he  demanded  repeatedly.  It  is  worth  not- 
ing that  his  greatest  pleasure  seemed  to  be  that  he  could 
then  help  papa,  just  as  he  was  now  learning  to  help 
mamma.  Who  will  dare  to  say  that  Froebel  did  not 
understand  children  when  he  urged  mothers  to  let  them 
make  their  hearts  glad  by  allowing  them  to  give  pres- 
ents and  by  helping  them  to  help  others) 

To-day  I  sat  down  for  a  moment  in  the  kitchen,  and 
as  I  was  giving  directions  I  took  up  and  looked  into  a 
cook-book  that  was  lying  on  the  table.  He  passed  by, 
looked  at  me,  and  said,  "Are  you  looking  what  Mrs. 

R r  says  ?"  mentioning  the  author's  name  correctly. 

I  do  not  know  how  he  found  out  her  name.  He  is 
constantly  surprising  us  by  knowledge  of  this  sort.  We 
go  along  blindly  when  we  think  that  children  do  not 
see  things.  I  have  no  doubt  at  all  of  the  fact  that 
children  know  us  far  better  than  we  know  them,  and 
were  they  able  to  express  themselves  in  terms  that  we 
in  our  self-assumed  strength  could  understand,  I  think 
we  would  be  glad  to  change  some  of  the  cruel  methods 
of  training  children  that  prevail  at  present.  The  pity 
of  it  all  impresses  one  when  one  thinks  of  the  opportu- 
nities that  are  wasted.  Child-study  is  a  work  for  all, 
but  parents  have  the  first  opportunity. 

Last  Thursday,  at  the  C n  Avenue  Station,  Harold 

was  properly  introduced  to  a  very  good  friend.  He 
was  very  shy,  would  not  speak  to  her  when  I  told  him 
to  say  "good-morning,"  and  apparently  took  no  notice 

133 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

of  her.  When  we  reached  home  he  said,  "  I  was  scairt 

of  Mrs. ,"  saying  her  name  correctly  enough  to  let 

any  one  know  of  whom  he  was  speaking,  although  it 
was  a  peculiar  name,  and  I  hadn't  the  least  idea  that  he 
would  remember  it.  In  the  evening  he  told  his  father 
all  about  it,  and  mentioned  the  name  several  times.  In 
spite  of  his  peculiar  accent  his  father  knew  whom  he 
meant. 

He  has  been  going  around  lately  saying,  "I'm  a 
little  girl.  I  am  six  years  old  to-day."  This  is  clearly 
imitation.  A  little  girl  said  it  to  him  a  few  weeks  ago, 
and  he  himself  is  only  three.  He  gives  constant  evidence 
of  a  retentive  memory.  He  tells  me  constantly  of  little 
things  that  occurred  a  year  and  a  half  ago,  personal 
matters  that  he  recollects  clearly. 

February  2d.  —  He  said  to-day,  "  Doctor  won't  put 
medicine  on  my  face ;  my  cheeks  are  well,"  referring  to 
the  ether-bottle  again.  He  asked  the  other  day,  in  ref- 
erence to  this  same  event,  "  And  did  they  all  go  away  ? 

and  did  Dr. go  ?  and  did  Dr.  -  -  go  ?  and  did  Dr. 

take  his  satchel  ?  and  did  the  one  doctor  come  back 

next  day  ?"  Then,  "  What  did  he  do,  mamma  ?"  She 
always  replies  to  this  question,  "  He  said, i  Good-morn- 
ing,' "  and  tries  to  divert  him.  The  other  day  he  asked 
his  father  if  he  had  been  laid  on  the  nursery-table,  and 
if  he  had  had  a  blanket  and  a  pillow,  etc.  He  evidently 
realizes  that  he  can  get  no  information  from  me,  and  he 
is  now  trying  to  get  his  father  to  tell  him.  He  always 
says  "  Ask  mamma,"  so  eventually  the  child  will  have 
to  give  the  matter  up,  as  he  would  have  done  long  ago 
had  more  care  been  taken  in  regard  to  his  impressions 
at  the  time.  (Ignorance  is  responsible  for  many  evils, 
but  who  is  responsible  for  this  ignorance  ?  Will  women 

134 


1893   DRAWINGS— THREE    YEARS   OLD 

A,  a  boy  flying  a  kite  ;  a,  man  in  moon  ;  b,  sky  ;  c,  kite  ;  d,  big  knot  in  string  ,  e,  hat  ;  f,  curly 
hair  ;  g,  shoulder  ;  h,  foot  turned  over  ;  i,  watch  ;  B,  a  boy  in  front  of  an  engine— frightened  ; 
C,  first  attempt  at  drawing  a  clock  ;  I),  "  he  has  his  hand  in  his  pocket  "  ;  E,  "  a  boy  crying  because 
his  mother  is  lame  ";  F,  inverted  letters  ;  H,  kitchen  dresser  ;  I,  telegraph  pole. 


THIRD    YEAR 

ever  be  taught  in  the  future,  that  looks  so  promising, 
that  which  they  should  certainly  know  ?  How  few  even 
understand  the  questions  of  hygiene  or  food,  not  to 
speak  of  their  connection  with  the  promotion  of  moral 
and  mental  development.  Might  it  not  be  well  for  all 
reformers,  educators,  and  philanthropists  to  follow  the 
method  adopted  by  some  to-day — i.e.,  beginning  at  the 
foundation  and  seeing  that  children  are  treated  as  they 
should  be?  and  might  they  not  better  utilize  hereafter 
the  vast  sums  of  money  they  now  expend  for  the  cure  of 
much  that  might  be  prevented  by  helping  to  educate 
the  mothers  of  the  future  as  well  as  those  of  the  present, 
taking  up  the  work  in  a  forceful  manner  in  connection 
WITH  existing  schools  as  well  as  in  a  scattered,  general 
way,  as  is  now  being  done  ?  This  is  so  truly  a  national 
question  that  even  the  various  governmental  powers 
might  wisely  concern  themselves  with  its  practical  ap- 
plication, in  which  lies  the  key-note  of  social  and  politi- 
cal reform. 

February  3d. — To-day  Harold  saw  some  photographs 
of  two  cousins,  who  are  totally  unlike  in  appearance, 
each  representing  a  distinct  type.  He  had  not  seen  the 
girls  for  nine  months,  but  he  knew  the  pictures  at  once. 
After  having  designated  them  correctly  once,  he  pre- 
tended ever  after — for  mischief,  evidently — that  one  was 
the  other. 

He  knows  ail  the  nursery  songs  now,  words  and  tunes, 
and  if  we  make  mistakes  when  repeating  them  he  always 
corrects  us. 

He  blew  soap-bubbles  successfully  for  the  first  time 
to-day.  When  he  began  he  couldn't  find  his  clay  pipe, 
so  he  ran  away,  and  soon  returned  with  a  beautiful 
one,  and  said,  doubtingly,  "Is  this  Harold's?"  He 

135 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

feared  it  wasn't,  for  good  reason.  I  went  with  him  to 
see  where  he  had  found  it.  He  led  me  to  a  drawer 
devoted  to  his  father's  pipes,  which  he  had  never 
attempted  to  disturb  before.  I  did  not  want  to  disap- 
point the  little  fellow,  so  I  said  he  might  have  it, 
although  he  has  been  taught  not  to  disturb  another's 
belongings.  He  then  amused  himself  by  blowing  bub- 
bles for  a  very  long  time — blowing  them  along  the  floor 
and  stamping  upon  them. 

The  other  day,  when  in  a  sleigh,  the  driver  touched  one 
of  the  horses  with  the  whip,  and  Harold  said, "  He  has  no 
business  to  whip  the  horse."  (The  record  later  on  shows 
how  he  always  had  great  sympathy  for  horses — once,  when 
six  years  old,  going  so  far  as  to  persuade  a  neighboring 
green-grocer  to  promise  never  to  dock  his  horse's  tail.) 

Yesterday  he  said  to  me  about  a  little  playmate  whom 
he  loves,  "  Mamma,  isn't  Christine  a  lovely  girl  ?"  He 
saw  some  little  girls  on  the  street  a  few  days  ago,  and 
he  admired  them  very  much.  As  he  directed  my  atten- 
tion to  them  he  said,  "I  like  little  girls  to  come  home  to 

me."  Mary  T ,  an  old  playmate,  who  used  to  come 

regularly  to  play  with  him,  came  to  see  him  a  few  days 
ago.  He  was  so  delighted  to  see  her  that  he  hovered 
over  her  all  the  time  she  was  with  him.  He  paid  no 
attention  whatever  to  me.  He  said  to  her  once,  "  I  love 
you,  Mary."  He  had  not  seen  her  for  a  year.  He 
remembers  the  names  of  three  servants  and  a  laundress 
who  were  with  us  during  the  last  year.  He  calls  his 
present  nurse  "  My  Mary,"  as  some  of  the  other  incum- 
bents possessed  the  name  of  Mary  also.  He  never  for- 
gets his  first  nurse,  and  often  asks  for  her.  When  she 
comes  to  see  him,  at  intervals  of  possibly  six  months,  he 
always  knows  her. 

136 


AN    EFFORT    AT    DRAWING    A    ROUND    FRONT    FOR  AN 
ENGINE 


HIS    PET    BUTTERFLY     FEEDING    ON 
HIS    FINGER 


KARLY    PRINTING 


AN    ENGINE    AND    TENDER 


1893   AND   1894   DRAWINGS 

1,893— Printed  letters  ;    an   engine  and  tender.     1894— An   effort  at  the  horizon  ;    a  pig  ; 
an  effort  at  drawing  a  round  front  for  an  engine. 


OF  THB 

UNIVERSITY 


THIRD    YEAR 

He  has  taken  to  winding  string  lately.  To-day  I  was 
very  much  amused  to  see  him  place  a  small  paper-box 
upon  a  chair,  in  which  he  dropped  a  spool  of  thread, 
letting  the  end  dangle  outside.  He  covered  the  box 
with  a  small  drawing  -  slate,  to  keep  the  spool  from 
jumping  out  as  he  wound  the  thread.  I  do  not  know 
how  he  discovered  that  the  spool  would  jump  out 
when  winding  briskly,  but  I  suppose  he  must  have  tried 
it  when  I  was  not  looking.  He  pulled  his  little  chair  up 
to  the  larger  one  holding  the  box  with  the  thread,  and 
began  pulling  out  the  thread  hand  over  hand.  This  he 
did  for  a  long  time.  Then  he  came  to  me  and  said, 
"  I  got  myself  stuck,"  meaning  he  had  become  entangled 
in  the  thread,  which,  although  a  natural  sequence,  was 
of  no  importance,  when  one  considers  that  he  had  pro- 
vided for  himself  a  satisfying  occupation  for  the  time 
being.  He  plays  in  this  way  by  the  hour,  chatting  with 
me  all  the  time,  but  going  on  with  his  play  as  if  it  were 
a  work  to  be  finished  with  the  end  of  day  only.  He 
comes  to  me  occasionally  for  a  suggestion,  saying, "  What 
may  I  do  ?"  But  he  usually  finds  occupation  for  him- 
self for  the  whole  day  when  I  provide  sufficient  mate- 
rial for  diversion,  telling  him  that  it  is  all  for  his  amuse- 
ment throughout  the  day.  The  kitchen-maid  frequently 
lets  him  "  clean  the  dresser,"  as  he  calls  it.  He  takes 
out  all  the  pots  and  pans,  attempts  to  sweep  the  floor 
with  a  brush,  and  then  he  hangs  the  utensils  up  again 
where  he  thinks  they  belong.  This  amuses  him  im- 
mensely, and  it  occupies  him  long  enough  to  give  others 
a  considerable  time  for  rest  from  supervision. 

February  4th. — To-day  he  said,  "Cousin  Eddie  be  a 
boy,  mamma.  Why  doesn't  papa  be  a  boy  ?" 

Last  month  he  said,  "  I  played  fall  up  and  down  the 

137 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

stairs  several  times."  This  was  the  first  time  he  said 
"  several." 

February 5th. — To-day  when  he  said"  where,"  he  em- 
phasized the  wh  by  blowing  it  out  of  his  mouth  very  for- 
cibly. He  told  nurse  that  she  must  not  say  "m<?  face,"  but 
"my  face."  He  told  some  one  else  not  to  say  "ain't"  but 
"isn't"  He  frequently  asks  me  to  tell  him  if  it  is  correct 
to  say  certain  words  m  a  certain  way,  and  he  evidently 
thinks  of  it  himself  between  times.  He  told  me  to-day 
that  he  would  go  to  God  when  He  was  ready  for  him. 
He  said  God  would  give  him  wings  to  fly  to  Him.  He 
has  evidently  drawn  these  conclusions  from  answers  that 
he  has  received  from  some  one  beyond  our  control.  I 
mentioned  God  quite  unintentionally  in  his  presence 
recently,  and  ever  since  he  has  kept  up  asking  questions 
about  Him — "  whether  He  is  a  man,  has  a  gown,  a  bath- 
tub, where  He  lives,"  etc.  He  was  told  at  this  time  of 
God  being  over  all  the  world,  caring  for  it,  as  his 
father  and  mother  were  over  him  and  the  family.  His 
love  and  power  were  spoken  of.  Harold  now  calls  to 
Him  in  a  very  original  way.  The  other  evening  he 
walked  to  the  window  in  his  night -dress,  pulled  down 
the  slats  of  the  shutters,  and  peeped  through  to  the  sky, 
calling  loudly,  "God,  God,  come  down  and  bless  papa, 
and  bless  mamma,  and  bless  Harold !"  He  shut  the 
shutters  then  and  went  to  his  crib,  saying  he  heard  God 
say  He  would  come.  (To  the  present  date  he  shows  the 
same  belief  in  hearing  an  answer  to  any  prayer  he 
offers.  He  says  his  "  think  "  tells  him.) 

February  7th. — He  said  to-night,  in  connection  with 
some  kindergarten  songs,  "  Mamma,  will  you  and  I  go 
to  New  York  and  buy  a  new  book  of  songs,  and  I  can 
read  and  BEAD  and  BEAD  ?"  When  we  sang  the  kin- 

138 


EARLY   CUTTINGS 


EARLY    CUTTINGS 


u 


V 


\\ 


AN   EARLY   EFFORT   IN 


LOCOMOTIVES,   A    BAGGAGE-CAR,   AND   A   STEAMBOAT 

1894   CUTTINGS 

Among  the  cuttings  not  designated,  the  one  on  the  lower  left  hand  of  the  group  is 
intended  to  represent  a  mule,  and  on  the  lower  right  hand  an  ostrich  turning  his  head. 


THIRD    YEAR 

dergarten  song  of  exercise  to-day,  he  tried  to  imitate 
my  movements  the  second  time.  The  third  time  he  did 
it  correct!}',  and  he  often  repeats  the  whole  song  now. 
From  time  to  time  I  give  him  memory  exercise  in  this 
way,  but  I  do  it  very  gradually. 


CHAPTEK  IV 

FOURTH  YEAR.  RECORD  OF  SPONTANEOUS  DEVELOP- 
MENT AFTER  THE  CHILD  WAS  THREE  YEARS  OLD, 
WITH  SELECTIONS  OF  DRAWINGS  AND  CUTTINGS, 
ALL  MENTAL  PICTURES,  DONE  AS  A  RESULT  OF 
SELF-ACTIVITY,  AND  ACCOMPANIED  BY  THE  CHILD'S 
EXPLANATIONS 

FEBRUARY  14, 1893. — To-day  Harold  is  three  years  old. 
He  awoke  at  seven,  asked  for  his  books  and  to  have  the 
blind  raised,  and  sat  up  to  amuse  himself,  as  he  does 
every  morning,  if  he  wakes  before  it  is  time  for  him  to 
be  dressed.  This  is  when  he  does  most  of  his  cutting 
and  drawing,  after  having  been  fed.  It  is  a  regular 
habit  to  place  his  material  at  the  foot  of  his  bed  every 
night,  and  in  the  morning  we  have  a  serious  time  of  it 
picking  up  papers  and  throwing  out  what  he  allows  us 
to  call  trash. 

This  morning,  instead  of  cutting,  he  read  "  A  Froggie 
Would  A-wooing  Go."  He  knows  every  word  of  it 
from  memory,  turns  the  pages  at  the  right  time,  and 
takes  great  delight  in  using  various  tones  and  gestures 
to  illustrate  each  phase  of  the  story.  When  he  had  fin- 
ished reading  it  and  I  said  it  was  time  to  rise,  he 
called  to  his  father  in  another  room,  as  he  usually  does, 
saying  to  me,  "  Is  that  loud  ?"  Receiving  no  reply,  he 
shook  his  head,  said  "  He  won't  hear,"  and  went  on  with 
his  play  until  the  maid  came  to  dress  him.  Shortly 
after  his  father  had  left  for  his  regular  train,  rather  more 

140 


1893   DRAWINGS— ENGINES 

A,  "This  is  a  man  raking  the  fire,  mamma"  ;    B,  round  front  to  engine  ;    C,  "engine  out  at 
night  time— a,  is  the  moon";  D,  "envelope  and  stamp";  E.  "pictures  on  the  wall." 


FOURTH    YEAR 

leisurely  than  usual,  Harold  heard  one  go  by  and  said, 
"  That's  papa's  train ;  he  didn't  miss  that  one." 

I  took  him  out  to-day  to  buy  a  birthday  present.  As 
we  walked  along  he  told  me  he  loved  to  go  out,  asked 
if  he  was  going  to  the  barber -shop,  and  when  I  said 
"  No,"  he  said, "  Then  where  are  we  going  ?"  I  said, "  To 
buy  a  present."  This  delighted  him.  He  is  always  so 
reasonable  about  buying  things  for  himself  that  we  take 
pleasure  in  giving  him  little  surprises  of  this  kind.  When 
he  asks  for  anything  beyond  his  limit,  he  is  always  per- 
fectly satisfied  if  we  tell  him  that  some  day  he  will  pos- 
sibly get  it.  He  seems  to  enjoy  the  anticipation,  and 
many  an  hour  have  we  spent  looking  at  "possible" 
future  gifts,  while  he  was  incidentally  learning  to  con- 
trol his  desires.  (Sometimes  I  am  able  to  give  an  order, 
unknown  to  him,  to  have  something  that  he  has  just 
admired  sent  home  next  day,  and  he  thinks  it  a  won- 
derful thing,  next  day,  when  he  receives  what  he  saw 
and  admired  the  day  before.  In  this  easy  way,  by 
thinking  ahead,  we  keep  him  happy  all  the  time,  and 
also  very  busy,  for  his  toys  all  require  work  or  motion 
upon  his  part.  When  he  was  five,  and  using  tools,  his 
mother  at  Christmas-time  spent  two  hours  in  a  hard- 
ware-store hunting  out  various  little  odds  and  ends  that 
would  please  him — different  sizes  of  nails,  screws,  pul- 
le}Ts,  hinges,  rings,  silver  wire,  a  gimlet,  etc. — and  of  all 
the  Christmas  presents  received  this  one  pleased  him 
most,  and  the  whole  lot  cost  forty-nine  cents.) 

While  we  were  walking  along  I  told  him  he  was  three 
years  old,  and  his  father  thirty-three ;  he  promptly  asked 
me  how  many  threes  his  mother  was  old.  He  saw  some 
rabbits  for  sale  and  thought  he  would  like  to  have  one 
for  his  birthday  present,  so  I  allowed  him  to  choose  one 

141 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

and  take  it  home  himself.  He  picked  out  a  black  and 
white  one,  and  wanted  to  come  home  at  once  "  to  build 
a  house  for  it."  When  we  reached  a  bridge  on  our  way 
home,  on  which  he  invariably  stops  to  see  the  "  choo- 
choos,"  he  wouldn't  wait  a  moment,  although  I  sug- 
gested it.  He  said  he  didn't  want  to,  he  wanted  to  go 
home  and  build  a  house  in  his  nursery  for  his  rabbit. 
Home  we  went  and  built  a  house  out  of  a  store- box. 
He  was  happy  for  the  whole  day,  feeding  and  caring  for 
his  pet.  He  talked  to  it  as  if  it  could  understand  him, 
and  at  bedtime  he  bent  over  the  door  of  its  house  and 
said,  "  Good-night ;  I'll  call  you  in  the  morning." 

He  was  so  sleepy  he  could  hardly  keep  awake  long 
enough  to  ask  where  his  paper  choo-choos  were.  When 
I  told  him,  he  was  content,  nestled  up  against  me,  and 
fell  asleep.  He  hadn't  quite  forgotten  them,  but  it  was 
evident  that  his  engines  will  have  rivals  in  live  pets. 

(The  record  shows  a  love  of  nature  and  animals  that 
is  fully  equal  to  the  evidence  given  further  on  of  a 
strong  bent  for  mechanics.  He  had  at  various  times  as 
pets — mice,  kittens,  dogs,  butterflies,  rabbits,  snails,  tad- 
poles, spiders,  frogs,  crabs,  etc.,  and  he  seems  to  have 
learned  in  this  way  to  be  gentle  with  anything  alive, 
having  been  known  to  lift  even  a  worm  out  of  harm's 
way  when  digging  in  his  garden.) 

He  received  his  first  locomotive  a  year  ago,  when  he 
was  two  years  old.  To-day  (three  years  old)  we  dis- 
covered him  very  busy  with  a  string  and  one  of  his 
present  stock  of  locomotives.  He  soon  called  to  his 
mother  to  come  and  see  what  he  had  done.  "  See  the 
connecting-rod,  mamma ;  see  how  it  works,"  and  so  it 
did.  He  had  fastened  the  string  to  the  centre  of  the 
driving-wheel,  connected  it  with  the  cylinder,  and  was 

143 


1893    DRAWINGS— BOATS,    TROLLEYS,    ETC. 

A,  street, -car  ;  B,  fire-engine  — engine  going  over  a  bridge;  C,  stationary  engine;  D,  the  child 
recognized  an  old  Philadelphia  .traction  car  oil  a  country  electric  road,  and  called  it  a  cable-car  going 
by  electricity,  then  made  the  drawing. 


or  TBB 

UNIVERSITY 


FOURTH    YEAR 

delighted  with  the  result,  possibly  because  he  felt  that 
he  had  replaced  to  his  satisfaction  the  connecting-rod 
that  had  been  inadvertently  broken  off  a  day  or  two  be- 
fore, but  just  as  likely  because  he  felt  he  had  achieved 
something,  which  characteristic  seems  to  be  distinctly 
noticeable  in  all  children  that  are  not  feeble-minded. 

During  the  afternoon  he  was  singing  "  Little  star  that 
shines  so  bright  .  .  ,  when  I  my  homeward  journey 
take,"  etc.  When  he  reached  the  word  journey  he  sang 
on,  "  When  papa  goes  to  town  he  takes  a  journey, 
when  papa  comes  back  he  takes  a  journey,"  and  went 
on  with  his  play,  not  noticing  that  I  had  heard  him. 
He  doesn't  seem  to  mind  my  presence — for  when  busy 
he  apparently  forgets  all  about  me — yet  if  I  leave  he 
misses  me  at  once.  So  I  usually  attend  to  my  duties 
and  read  a  great  deal  when  sitting  in  the  same  room 
with  him  while  he  plays.  Last  night,  when  he  woke 
for  a  drink,  he  saw  his  mother  writing  a  letter,  said 
"  Don't  write,  mamma,"  turned  over  and  fell  asleep. 

February  15th. — To-day  he  had  some  yellow-jack  candy 
for  the  first  time.  When  about  taking  him  out-of-doors, 
his  mother  put  a  piece  of  it  in  her  mouth,  unknown  to 
him.  As  she  put  on  his  coat  he  looked  at  her  quizzically 
and  said,"  I  want  a  piece  of  yellow-jack;  I  smell  it ;  mam- 
ma, open  your  mouth."  She  did  so,  but  only  partially. 
He  said  "  Wide";  so  she  let  him  see  that  she  had  taken  a 
piece.  He  smiled  and  said, "  I  smelled  it."  She  then  told 
him  he  could  have  a  piece  when  he  came  in.  He  remem- 
bered this,  and  she  had  no  trouble  to  get  him  to  come  in 
when  it  was  time.  This  was  not  done  to  bribe  him,  but 
simply  because  it  would  be  the  most  natural  time  for 
him  to  receive  it,  after  going  in  again,  instead  of  send- 
ing some  one  back  to  get  a  piece  for  him  when  he 

143 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

spoke  of  it.  He  was  never  waited  on  to  the  exclusion 
of  every  one  else's  comfort,  although  all  his  wants 
were  attended  to,  and  often  even  anticipated ;  but  this 
was  done  without  his  being  conscious  of  it,  and  he  was 
allowed  to  help  himself  and  others  so  far  as  possible. 
When  he  began  at  this  date,  as  he  did,  to  demand  service 
from  the  servants  as  if  it  were  his  right — politely,  it  is 
true,  yet  authoritatively,  as  if  he  recognized  their  posi- 
tion— he  was  taught,  by  examples  that  were  pointed  out 
to  him,  why  a  servant  should  be  treated  gently  and 
courteously,  as  well  as  any  one  else  with  whom  he  had 
to  do,  and  how,  by  not  demanding,  he  would  receive 
loving  service.  (The  record  shows  clearly,  later  on, 
how  he  became  uniformly  gentle  and  kind  with  people 
who  were  not  harsh,  no  matter  in  what  condition  of  life 
he  found  them.  And  one  of  the  greatest  problems  now 
before  his  mother  is  how  to  fully  explain  to  him  how 
he  shall  kindly  adapt  himself  to  the  people  about  him 
without  losing  his  own  rights.) 

To-night  he  asked  me  if  his  rabbit  had  teeth,  and  if  it 
would  bite  or  kiss. 

February  18th. — Before  going  to  sleep  to-night  he 
said,  " Mamma,  I  want  to  talk  to  Katie  a  few  moments" 
This  is  the  first  time  he  has  said  "  moments."  He  is  con- 
stantly saying  words  that  are  unusual  for  so  young  a 
child,  and  his  understanding  of  their  application  is  some- 
times ludicrous,  but  generally  surprisingly  correct. 

February  20th. — He  heard  the  word  peacocks  to-day, 
and  said,  "  Mamma,  do  peacoucks  couck  ?  Do  peacoucks 
eat  pease  ?" 

February  21st.— He  said,  to-day,  after  the  severe  wind- 
storm, bitter  cold,  and  frosted  windows  of  yesterday, 
"  Mamma,  it  isn't  cold  to-day,  the  windows  don't  rattle." 

144 


1893    DRAWINGS — ENGINES THREE    YEARS    OLD 

A,  elephant,  and  children  taking  a  ride  ;  engines  and  trolley  cars. 


OF  THB 

UNIVERSITY 


1893    DRAWINGS— THREE    YEARS    OLD 

A,  effort  at  writing  "Thank  you."  after  asking  how  to  spell  it  ;   B,  b,  b,  early  efforts  at  engine, 

missy,  and  steamboat  ;  C.  called  it  "writing  his  name,"  and  the  frame,  ho  said,  was  a  pipe  with 

||  smoke  curling  around  ;  D,  "man  in  the  moon";   E,  "  man  in  the  rain";   F.  head  and  hat  ;  G,  "a 

man  without  any  arms— they  were  cut  off,  like  the  music  man's  legs";   H,  effort  at  horizon  ;   I, 

engine  and  man  in  the  moon  ;  J,  his  stuffed  kitty  ;  K,  house  and  woman 


,  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


FOURTH    YEAR 

March  22d. — As  we  crossed  the  ferry  going  to  New- 
York  to-day,  he  said  to  his  mother  as  we  came  in  the 
slip, "  Oh,  mamma,  why  does  it  make  soap-water  ?  See, 
the  water  is  all  soapy." 

At  the  station  he  heard  torpedoes  on  the  track  and 
said,  "  Is  that  thunder  ?"  (This  is  the  time  that  he  first 
observed  the  differences  in  boats,  and  his  constant  ques- 
tions during  a  week's  visit  and  much  ferry-crossing  were, 
"What's  that?"  and  " Why  is  that?"  Every  question 
was  answered  so  that  he  could  understand,  by  building 
up  from  what  he  already  knew,  and  he  carried  home 
with  him  a  vast  increase  to  his  fund  of  information 
that  is  being  acquired  by  persistent  questioning.) 

November  23d. — He  said,  to-day, "  Lorenzo  learned  me 
to  cry."  I  said,  "  No,  he  taught  you."  He  then  said, 
"  It  is  /  that  learns,  isn't  it  ?"  He  is  three  and  a  half 
years  old  now. 

December  25th.— His  prayer,  as  follows,  on  Christmas 
evening,  was  voluntary,  for  we  let  him  pray  just  as  and 
when  he  feels  like  it.  He  said, "  God  bless  papa  and 
mamma,  and  God  bless  Harold  and  Katie  (his  maid), 
God  bless  my  Christmas-tree,  God  bless  Santa  Claus, 
and  everybody  you  can  find  in  your  house  in  the  sky." 

To-day — Christmas — he  said  he  felt  so  happy  and 
pleased  with  Santa  Claus  for  giving  him  such  a  nice 
Christmas-tree.  He  selected  voluntarily  enough  toys  to 
fill  a  large  portmanteau — taking  books,  old  and  new  toys, 
fruit  and  candy — "  to  take  out,"  as  he  said,  "  to  some  poor 
little  boy  who  hadn't  any  papa."  He  has  divined  or 
heard  in  some  way  that  Santa  Claus  comes  where  there 
is  a  "  papa."  When  he  asked  me  in  such  a  way  that  I 
could  not  escape  answering,  I  explained  to  him  that 
Santa  Claus  represented  the  spirit  of  love  abroad  for 

K  145 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

everybody  at  Christmas  -  time,  and,  like  the  Brownies, 
we  couldn't  see  him.  I  have  not  explained  to  him  yet 
about  Christ,  so  I  could  not  go  on  with  the  idea,  but  he 
accepted  the  suggestion,  and  seems  to  revel  in  the  fanci- 
ful thought  of  Santa.  We  went  out  to  find  the  poor 
little  boy,  and  we  had  a  difficult  search,  after  a  long 
walk,  during  which  he  said  to  himself,  "  I  will  be  the 
little  boy's  Santa  Claus.  I  pity  the  poor  little  boy 
without  any  papa." 

We  found  a  mother  with  three  little  tots  in  rags. 
They  had  no  tree,  no  toys — in  fact,  hardly  enough  to 
eat.  Harold  is  very  shy,  and  I  had  to  persuade  him  to 
hand  his  toys  himself.  I  wanted  him  to  taste  the  pleas- 
ure of  giving.  He  did  it  very  shyly,  and  it  was  a  pretty 
sight  to  see  the  ragged  urchins  crowd  about  him,  each 
to  take  what  he  offered  without  any  question  as  to 
which  would  get  the  most.  When  we  returned  he  was 
well  content  and  happy  all  day  through,  although  he 
had  given  away  many  treasured  toys.  The  chief  beauty 
of  the  act  was  that  no  one  would  have  found  it  out, 
not  even  his  parents,  if  it  had  depended  upon  him  for 
the  telling,  for  he  never  spoke  of  it  again,  and  seemed  to 
have  forgotten  all  about  it,  nor  did  any  one  else  ever 
mention  it  in  his  presence. 

When  he  was  nearly  four  years  old  his  uncle  and 

Aunt  C came  to  see  us,  and  while  I  was  engaged 

with  his  uncle  he  took  up  a  new  book  that  he  had  just 
received  and  brought  it  to  me,  begging  me  to  read  to 
him  about  the  pigs  in  it.  The  book  had  a  number  of 
illustrations,  and  nearly  every  one  had  the  picture  of  a 
pig  in  it.  To  divert  him,  his  aunt  called  him  to  her, 
saying  she  would  read  to  him.  As  it  was  twilight  she 
could  not  see  to  read,  so  improvised  the  following  verses 

146 


1893    DRAWINGS 
With  the  exception  of  the  horse  and  wagon,  drawn  in  May,  189*. 


FOURTH    YEAR 


to  catch  his  interest  and  keep  him  from  disturbing  our 
conversation.  It  was  the  first  time  that  Harold  had 
heard  any  of  us  use  "  baby  talk  " : 

"A  piggie,  wiggie,  wiggle, 
Went  to  beddie,  beddie,  beddie. 
On  his  pillow  willie,  willie, 
He  laid  his  headie,  headie,  headie. 

"But  piggie,  wiggie,  wiggie, 
Couldn't  sleepie,  sleepie,  sleepie, 
So  out  his  beddie  biggie, 
He  creepie,  creepie,  creepied. 

"  He  jumped,  he  hopped,  he  trotted 
Across  the  floor  so  bold, 
To  reach  the  shining  faucet, 
With  water,  oh,  so  cold  ! 

"He  splashie,  splashie,  splashied, 
He  dashie,  dashie,  dashied, 
The  water,  water,  water, 
On  his  facie,  facie,  face. 

"He  wet  his  eyesie  eyes, 
His  cheekie,  cheekie,  cheeks, 
His  nosie,  nosie,  nose, 
His  headie,  headie,  head. 

"  Oh,  the  water,  water,  water, 
Was  so  cold,  so  cold,  so  cold, 
But  he  laughie,  laughie,  laughied, 
For  it  felt  so  good,  so  good,  so  good. 

"  Then  back  to  beddie,  beddie, 
Went  piggie,  wiggie,  wiggie ; 
He  slept,  you  may  believe  it, 
Like  any  piggie  wig." 
147 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

He  was  very  much  amused,  and  begged  her  to  tell  it 
again.  Then  he  went  for  his  engine-book  (one  that  was 
full  of  illustrations  of  English  and  American  engines), 
and  said,  entreatingly,  "  Aunt  C ,  read  the  engine- 
book  funny— puffy,  puffy,  puff." 


1893   DRAWINGS — THREE    YEARS   OLD 

A.  kitchen   utensils;   B,  kitchen  chairs,  table,  etc.;  C — a.  kitchen  stove;  b,  inverted   letters 
c,  dog  with  bell  in  his  nose  ;  d,  elephant  with  bell  in  his  nose  ;  D,  windmill. 


OF  TBB 

UNIVERSITY 


CHAPTER  V 

RECORD  CONTINUED  —  NATURE  STORIES  —  TRAINING 
BUTTERFLIES  AND  WHITE  MICE— THE  CHILD'S  FIRST 
EFFORT  AT  RELATING  A  STORY  WHEN  HE  WAS 
FOUR  YEARS  OLD 

FEBRUARY  14,  1894. — To-day  I  was  trying  to  draw  a 
pussy  for  Harold,  and  when  I  drew  the  whiskers  I  said, 
"  Doggies  don't  have  whiskers."  He  said,  "  No,  they 
have  only  fleas." 

February  19th. — He  was  looking  at  a  large  picture 
of  a  naval  review,  and  pointed  to  a  three-mast  vessel 
and  said,  "I  never  saw  one  like  that  before."  Then 
pointing  to  two  walking  -  beams,  one  at  each  end  of 
the  picture,  he  said,  "  There  are  two  ferry-boats  like  I 

saw  on  the  ribber  when  I  was  at  Baby  N 's  house. 

There's  a  sail-boat.  There  is  no  tug-boat  here.  "What's 
that  ?"  pointing  to  a  cannon.  I  said, "  Don't  you  remem- 
ber seeing  a  cannon  over  at  the  square  where  there  is  a 
statue?"  He  said  "Yes,"  and  asked  what  the  wheel 
under  it  meant,  and  the  tracks.  His  father  then  explained 
about  its  being  a  carriage  to  wheel  around  the  cannon. 
He  instantly  asked  whether  there  was  a  hinge  there  to 
make  it  go  around. 

February  20th.— He  told  his  mother  the  following 
story  very  seriously  to-day,  without  a  break  from  begin- 
ning to  end. 

About  a  month  ago  I  told  him  about  "  The  Brownies 

149 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

and  the  Kain-drops,"  making  it  up  for  him  as  I  went 
along.  He  was  very  fond  of  it,  and  asked  for  it  repeat- 
edly, so  I  wrote  it  down.  The  one  story  may  have  sug- 
gested the  other,  but  he  has  heard  of  the  Brownies  and 
had  their  books  for  a  long  time,  and  he  has  also  heard  of 
"  Jack  and  the  Bean-stalk  "  independently  of  my  story. 
(At  seven  he  still  begs  to  hear  both  stories  from  time  to 
time.) 

HAROLD'S   STORY  TO   HIS   MOTHER 

"  Harold  saw  a  house,  and  what  do  you  suppose  he 
saw  right  by  it  ?" 

His  mother  said,  "  I  don't  know." 

He  said,  "  Why,  a  great  big  bean-stork  "  (stalk),  "  and 
Harold  climbed  up  the  steps  to  the  top  of  the  house ; 
and  what  do  you  think  he  saw  there?" 

"I  don't  know." 

"  Why,  a  little  Brownie.  He  said, t  Why,  how  do  you 
do,  Master  Harold  ?'  and  Harold  said,  i  How  do  you  do, 
Master  Brownie?'"  (He 'then  said  to  me  in  an  aside, 
"  His  name  was  Mustard  Brownie.")  " '  Won't  you  come 
down  with  me,  Mustard  Brownie?'"  Then  Mustard 
Brownie  climbed  down  on  one  side  of  the  steps,  and 
Harold  on  the  other,  and  when  they  got  down  to  the 
ground  Mustard  Brownie  took  Harold's  hand,  and  they 
walked  and  walked  and  walked  until  they  came  to 
Harold's  house. 

"Harold  said,  'Won't  you  come  in  this  beautiful  house 
and  live  with  me,  Mustard  Brownie?'  and  he  said  he 
would,  and  went  in  with  Harold.  And  what  do  you 
suppose  Harold's  nurse  said  to  Mustard  Brownie,  hop- 
ping on  the  floor?" 

"  I  don't  know." 

150 


1894   CUTTINGS  AND   1893   AND    1894   PRINTED   LETTER   WORK 


RECORD    CONTINUED 

" '  "Why,  where  do  you  come  from,  Mustard  Brownie  f 
And  he  said : 

"<  Harold  saw  me  on  top  of  the  roof  of  a  house  and 
brought  me  here.'  And  what  do  you  suppose  he  did 
then?  Hopped  around  on  the  floor  and  played  with 
Harold's  toys  ;  and  that's  all." 

The  following  is  the  story  supposed  to  have  sug- 
gested the  preceding  one  of  the  child's  : 

THE  BROWNIES  AND  THE  RAIN-DROPS 

One  moonlight  night  a  wee  little  Brownie  met  an- 
other little  Brownie,  who  was  much  older  than  himself, 
and  he  asked  him  a  question  that  had  been  bothering 
him  all  the  long,  long  day :  "  Have  we  mammas  and 
have  we  papas  ?" 

"  No,  we  are  only  Brownies — make-believes,  the  chil- 
dren call  us.  Come,  let  us  go  up  to  the  sky  and  see  the 
rain-drops." 

"  But  how  will  we  get  there  ?" 

"  Oh,  upon  a  butterfly's  back.  I  think  there  is  a  field 
full  of  them  here." 

So  away  they  went  to  the  field,  where  they  found 
many  beautiful  butterflies  asleep  amid  the  flowers. 
Brownies  always  travel  at  night  and  know  just  where 
to  find  what  they  want,  for  they  are  very  wise.  To 
the  first  butterfly  they  saw  they  said,  "  Please  wake  up 
and  take  us  to  the  sky  to  see  the  rain-drops." 

"  Certainly  I  will.  We  want  them  here,  we  are  so 
thirsty." 

So  up  the  Brownies  jumped,  but,  alas  !  they  found  the 
butterfly's  back  was  too  small  to  hold  them.  They 

151 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

asked  another.  He  said,  "Oh  yes;  I  will  gladly  go, 
I  am  so  very  warm.  We  want  the  rain-drops  here."  But, 
alas!  he  was  too  broad.  The  next  was  too  thin'  the 
next  too  fat.  Another  was  so  soft  that  the  Brownies 
feared  that  they  would  go  right  through  him.  The  last 
one  they  tried  was,  oh,  so  hard !  His  back  was  as  sharp 
as  the  edge  of  a  knife. 

The  butterflies  couldn't  take  them,  yet  wanted  so 
much  to  have  the  rain -drops,  and  the  Brownies,  too, 
wanted  very  much  to  learn  how  and  where  the  rain- 
drops lived.  The  poor  flowers  in  the  field,  also,  were 
so  very  thirsty.  What  could  they  all  do  ? 

Well,  the  Brownies  walked  along,  wondering  and 
wondering,  when  they  chanced  to  see  what  looked  like 
large,  beautiful  trees,  with  steps  running  up  the  sides  of 
the  trees.  Now  these  wise  little  Brownies  knew  all  about 
the  story  of  Jack  and  his  Bean-stalk,  and  they  thought 
that  perhaps  they  had  found  a  fairy  bean-stalk.  They 
picked  out  a  tree  that  seemed  higher  to  them  than  all 
the  others,  and  then  they  began  to  climb — high,  higher, 
and  yet  higher,  for  every  time  they  thought  they  were 
near  the  top  up  would  seem  to  go  another  lot  of  steps. 
They  kept  on,  however,  puffing  and  panting,  until  at 
last  what  do  you  think  they  saw  ?  (Here  Harold  al- 
ways says,  "  I  don't  know,"  waiting  expectantly.)  A 
beautiful  white  cloud,  floating  very  near  the  highest 
step,  and  sitting  upon  the  cloud  was  another  little 
Brownie.  How  did  he  get  there?  They  looked  and 
looked,  but  after  so  hard  a  climb  they  hadn't  any  breath 
left  to  ask  him  how  he  came.  Very  soon,  however, 
after  they  had  rested  a  little,  they  turned  to  find  out 
all  about  it,  when  what  do  you  think  they  saw  ?  (Har- 
old again  says,  "  I  don't  know.")  They  saw  he  was  go- 

152 


1894  CUTTINGS  OF  ENGINES 


OF  THK 

UNIVERSITY 


1894   ENGINE   AND   CAR   CUTTINGS — FOUR   YEARS   OLD 


OF  THB 

UNIVERSITY 


RECORD    CONTINUED 

ing  down,  down,  down,  far  away  from  them  and  the 
cloud.  What  could  it  all  mean  ?  They  soon  found  out. 
First  they  saw  some  rain-drops,  like  great,  big,  lovely 
drops  of  dew,  all  gathered  together  in  this  beautiful 
white  cloud,  one  close  against  the  other.  They  shone 
and  glistened,  and  were  almost  too  beautiful  to  look  at. 
The  little  Brownies  were  quite  afraid  to  speak  to 
them,  but  they  did  try  to  say  in  a  whisper : 
"  The  butterflies  and  flowers  are  very  thirsty." 
The  big  drops  heard  them,  and  answered,  saying : 
"  Yes,  we  know,  and  we  all  are  ready  to  give  them 
a  drink.  Now  sit  very  still  and  watch  us."  And  just 
think  of  it ;  the  big  cloud  opened  very  gently,  and  the 
drops  all  rolled  out,  one  by  one  at  first,  but  very  soon 
tumbling  one  over  the  other,  just  as  fast  as  they  could 
go,  flashing  and » splashing,  and  whispering  gently  all 
the  way  down  to  Mother  Earth,  because  they  were  so 
very  glad  to  give  a  drink  to  the  poor  thirsty  butterflies 
and  flowers.  As  they  were  tumbling  out,  two  of  the 
last  big  drops  turned  very  quickly  to  the  Brownies  and 
said : 

"  Your  ladder  is  gone.  Jump  upon  our  backs  if  you 
want  to  get  home  before  daylight  comes." 

Now  we  all  know  very  well  that  Brownies  are  good- 
natured  little  things,  but  they  never  let  any  one  see 
them,  so  they  knew  very  well  that  home  they  must  go, 
and  that  very  quickly.  Their  ladder  was  gone.  They 
felt  a  little  bit  afraid  to  ride  down  to  the  earth  on  the 
rain-drops,  yet  what  could  they  do?  The  big  drops 
promised  them  they  would  go  very  gently,  so  each 
Brownie  jumped  up  upon  the  back  of  a  beautiful  shin- 
ing drop,  and  sailed  away,  down,  down,  down,  in  the 
most  delightful  way,  and  where  do  you  think  they  found 

153 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

themselves  when  they  reached  the  end  of  their  journey? 
(Harold  says,  "  I  don't  know.") 

Why,  one  was  upon  the  back  of  the  fat  butterfly,  and 
the  other  was  upon  the  back  of  the  thin  butterfly,  and 
they  heard  both  butterflies  making  a  quiet  little  noise 
of  pleasure  because  the  rain  had  come.  They  did  not 
see  the  Brownies,  though,  for  the  sunshine  too  had  come. 

December  25th. — He  said,  voluntarily  to-night  for  his 
prayer,  "  I  love  you,  God,  but  I  can't  always  do  what 
pleases  you."  The  last  was  not  suggested.  He  had 
been  told  that  God  liked  to  know  that  little  boys  loved 
Him,  so  he  folded  his  hands,  buried  his  face  in  his  pil- 
low, and  whispered  the  words.  Afterwards  he  said  he 
had  something  else  to  tell  God,  and  repeated,  "Please, 
God,  tell  mamma  to  bring,  next  Christmas,  for  my  kitty" 
(said  kitty  is  a  stuffed  cotton  -  print  one)  "  a  pair  of 
crutches  and  a  bed."  He  told  me  to  -  day  that  she 
was  lame.  All  imagination.  He  idealizes  her — she  is 
everything  to  him.  He  takes  her  to  bed  with  him 
every  night. 

December  26th. — To-day  when  I  read  to  him,  "  So 
Tray  put  his  fore-feet  in  the  milk,"  he  asked,  "  Do 
two  and  two  make  four?"  thinking  I  meant  four  feet. 
Knowing  there  were  two  front  and  two  hind  feet,  he 
made  his  first  attempt  at  adding.  I  said,  "  Yes,  just 
this  way,"  holding  up  my  fingers;  "two  fingers  and 
two  fingers  make  four  fingers."  He  held  up  his  little 
hand,  separated  the  fingers  in  twos,  and  said,  "  This 
way— one,  two;  one,  two,"  counting  each  group.  I  said, 
"Yes;  now  how  many  altogether?"  He  counted  "One, 
two,  three,  four,"  and  was  satisfied,  which  he  is  only 
when  he  understands  the  replies  he  receives.  He  never 
gives  up  questioning  until  he  understands.  I  have  often 

154 


1894   DRAWINGS — FOUR   YEARS    OLD 

A,  duck  ;  B,  trolley  car  going  round  a  track  ;  C,  "  Harold  lame  on  crutches  and  mamma  looking 
out  of  the  window'1';  0— a,  is  copy  by  child,  reversed,  of  b.  done  by  another  person  ;  E,  scenes  at 
a  country  fair — a,  band  -stand  ;  b.  merry  go-round  ;  c,  swing  ;  d,  elephant-keeper  with  goad;  F, 
faucets  and  pipes  ;  ft— a,  bird  on  cherry-tree  ;  b,  boy  with  bow  and  arrow  shooting  bird  on  apple- 
tree  ;  c,  bird  flying  away. 


1894   DRAWINGS— FOUR  TEARS   OLD 

A,  engine  from  copy,  February  25,  1894  — as  Harold's  interest  increased  in  engines  his  father 
•ouid  draw  one  for  him,  as  above,  probably  once  a  fortnight — Harold  always  made  additions  to  his 
vn  copy  ;  B  and  D:  early  pen  efforts  ;  E  and  C,  first  attempts  at  a  round  front  for  engines— he 
erned  never  to  have  observed  this  feature  before. 


RECORD    CONTINUED 

heard  him  say,  "What?  What  did  you  say?"  meaning 
that  he  did  not  understand — not  that  he  did  not  hear ; 
but  until  I  would  explain  to  others  they  would  frequent- 
ly answer  in  the  same  words,  over  and  over  again,  to 
every  "  what "  he  gave.  He  did  not  know  how  else  to 
ask,  and  because  I  always  understood  what  he  meant 
by  "  what,"  he  thought  others  did. 

I  did  not  explain  to  him  at  this  time  about  fore-feet 
meaning  front  feet,  for  he  had  enough  to  consider  with 
his  "  two  and  two  make  four." 

We  usually  find  out  some  way  of  making  things  clear 
by  going  from,  what  he  knows  to  the  unknown — as,  for 
instance,  he  asked  once  what  a  "  calf  "  was,  and  I  said, 
"A  little  cow."  He  said,  "Oh,  is  that  the  way?"  and 
asked  no  more.  We  can  always  trust  to  his  asking  ques- 
tions when  he  observes  anything  new,  for  he  knows  that 
he  will  be  answered.  He  now  possesses  a  fund  of  in- 
formation, acquired  by  questioning  and  from  surround- 
ings, that  is  equal  to  that  of  a  much  older  child,  yet 
he  has  gained  it  all  without  the  slightest  effort  beyond 
self-directed  amusement,  with  no  sign  of  precociousness, 
and  without  sacrificing  in  the  least  degree  the  oppor- 
tunities that  were  needed  for  correct  physical  develop- 
ment. 

He  asked  me  this  evening  why  we  were  not  made  to 
eat  everything.  I  said  things  were  made  for  different 
uses ;  grown  stomachs,  if  well  cared  for  when  little, 
could  digest  almost  anything.  Then  he  said,  "  But  no 
— listen :  why  don't  we  eat  vaseline  instead  of  using 
it  outside?"1  I  said  we  could,  but  we  wouldn't  like  it. 
He  is  no  doubt  puzzling  over  internal  and  external  uses 
of  things.  He  asked  me  to-night  how  to  spell  "  gan,"  of 
the  word  "  Hogan."  I  said,  "  g-a-n."  He  then  said, 

155 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

"  Hello,  Harold,  here  you  are  again.  How  do  you  spell 
that?"  I  said,  "a-g-a-i-n,"  and  he  was  satisfied. 

He  is  very  fond  of  Slovenly  Peter.  When  asked 
what  kind  of  a  book  it  was,  he  said,  very  emphatically, 
"Slovenly  Peter  was  made  for  naughty  boys.  You 
could  read  it  to  good  boys  to  make  them  happy,  and 
to  naughty  boys  to  make  them  good ;  that's  what  it's 
made  for."  (An  incipient  reviewer.) 

The  following  story,  which  I  wrote  for  Harold  when 
he  was  about  four  years  old,  gives  our  experience  with 
some  pet  mice,  and  shows,  incidental!}",  how  he  was 
taught  to  be  gentle  with  live  creatures.  He  asks  for  it 
again  and  again : 

TWO  WHITE  MICE 

"  Whitey  "  and  "  Squealy."  This  is  what  Harold  calls 
them.  Whitey  is  the  dearest  little  ball  of  fluff  when  sit- 
ting on  her  haunches  cleaning  her  coat  with  fists  made 
of  the  smallest  pair  of  hands  you  ever  saw,  for  her  front 
feet  looked  like  little  hands  that  have  only  four  fingers 
and  no  thumbs.  They  are  ever  so  much  smaller  than 
the  hind  feet,  that  have  five  toes  that  look  like  a  thumb 
and  four  fingers.  These  hind  feet  are  very  strong,  and 
Whitey  often  stands  up  on  them  like  a  kangaroo,  lifting 
her  nose  high  up  into  the  air  to  sniff  at  something 
which  she  doesn't  quite  understand,  but  knows  is  there. 
Harold  says  she  has  only  four  fingers  for  each  front 
foot,  with  no  thumb  to  get  in  the  way,  because  she  can 
roll  them  up  into  fists  more  easily,  which  mousie  always 
does  when  cleaning  her  fur,  making  them  go  so  fast 
that  you  can  only  see  something  pink  that,  is  moving 
but  has  no  distinct  form.  Harold  also  says  mousie  has 

156 


1894  DRAWINGS 

A,  copy  of  a  picture  of  nn  old  English  engine — done  from  memory  ;  B,  he  drew  a,  a  man  before 
the  engine  which  some  one  else  drew— he  also  drew  b,  an  engine  to  run  over  the  figures  in  front, 
Inch  were  also  drawn  by  some  one  else  ;  C,  fire  engine  ;  D,  engine  pushing  a  car  ;   E,  he  said, 
Aren't  they  funny  smiling  little  boys!    I  think  I'd  rather  look  at  those  than  any  thing." 


1894    DRAWINGS — FOUR   YEARS   OLD 
A,  "a  man  shooting  an  ostrich";   B,  "baby-coach. 


RECORD    CONTINUED 

five  toes  on  her  hind  feet  so  she  may  spread  them  out  to 
stand  on.  Whitey's  sense  of  smell,  as  is  true  of  all 
mice,  is  wonderful.  We  often  place  a  bit  of  cheese 
within  several  feet  of  her,  just  to  see  her  drop  every- 
thing instantly  and  run  straight  to  the  tempting  morsel, 
where  the  least  little  bit  of  a  nibble  seems  to  satisfy  her. 

She  is  a  very  dainty  eater.  She  lives  chiefly  upon 
canary-seed,  and  to  see  her  sitting  beside  us  so  fearlessly, 
holding  a  very  little  seed  in  her  fore-paws,  nibbling  away 
to  her  heart's  content,  with  a  most  knowing  expression, 
is  a  sight  worth  working  for.  It  takes  only  a  little 
patience  and  kind  treatment  to  secure  this  result. 

Squealy  was  not  so  easy  to  teach  as  Whitey  was,  and 
he  gave  us  a  great  deal  of  trouble.  He  squealed  every 
time  we  touched  him,  which  gave  him  his  name;  he 
would  climb  out  of  his  box  and  run  away.  One  night 
he  gave  us  a  half-hour's  chase  before  we  caught  him. 
He  would  nibble  holes  with  his  sharp  little  teeth  through 
the  bottom  of  the  box  or  in  the  cover  on  the  dressing- 
table,  where  we  tried  to  keep  him  for  a  while,  thinking  he 
wouldn't  try  to  jump  off.  He  would  chew  at  the  edges 
of  any  books  or  papers  he  could  reach ;  in  fact,  he  never 
seemed  satisfied  except  when  in  mischief.  "VVhitey,  on 
the  contrary,  showed  a  genuinely  sweet  disposition,  never 
squealing  when  we  took  her  up,  and  never  giving  trouble 
of  any  kind. 

We  took  them  with  us  to  the  country  one  day  when 
making  a  visit,  and  had  a  most  exciting  hunt  for 
Squealy  the  first  night,  just  about  bedtime,  when  we 
discovered  that  "Whitey  was  alone  in  the  box,  which 
had  been  set  very  carefully  in  the  middle  of  the  floor, 
far  enough  away,  so  we  supposed,  from  anything  that 
could  be  reached.  As  we  knew  the  roving  disposition 

157 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

of  Squealy,  we  took  this  precaution,  but  we  were  not 
sufficiently  foresighted,  as  events  showed.  We  hunted 
under  beds,  bureaus,  and  chairs,  up -stairs  and  down, 
with  candles  and  without,  and  at  last  gave  up  in  de- 
spair when  we  happened  to  spy  him  upon  the  curtain- 
pole  near  the  ceiling,  his  little  white  head  with  his  pink 
eyes  almost  invisible,  peering  over  the  top  of  the  equally 
white  curtain.  His  eyes  were  shining  as  if  he  enjoyed 
our  worry.  He  sat  still,  watching  us,  and  it  took  but  a 
moment  to  get  him  and  place  the  box  in  a  safer  position, 
farther  away  from  the  curtain,  to  which  he  had  evident- 
ly jumped ;  but  we  did  not  feel  secure  so  long  as  we  had 
him  visiting,  for  we  never  knew  where  we  Avould  find 
him.  We  did  not  mind  this  very  much  when  at  home, 
as  we  were  careful  to  keep  doors  closed,  and  all  articles 
of  value  away  from  him. 

When  he  began  to  light,  however,  we  thought  it  best 
to  do  without  him.  The  scampering  and  squealing  that 
we  heard  at  night  was,  to  say  the  least,  disturbing,  es- 
pecially to  those  who  wanted  to  sleep  and  were  not  ac- 
customed to  noise  of  this  sort.  We  had  grown  so  used 
to  little  things  of  this  kind  in  our  nature-studies,  that 
we  were  entirely  unmindful  of  the  fact  that  our  little 
family  did  not  live  very  happily  when  together;  but  one 
night,  after  a  particularly  noisy  time,  we  surprised  a 
little  dark  mouse  on  a  visit  to  the  white  ones.  He 
disappeared  very  quickly,  but  evidently  returned  again, 
for  the  racket  was  astounding.  Finally  there  was  a 
terrific  squeal  and  a  big  thump.  Upon  springing  up 
and  striking  a  light  we  discovered  poor  Whitey  on  the 
floor  with  blood  on  her  back,  where  either  Squealy  or 
the  brown  mouse  had  evidently  bitten  her.  She  had 
fallen  or  been  pushed  from  the  top  of  a  large  trunk, 

158 


1894   DRAWINGS — FOUR   YEARS    OLD 

A.  --a  man  out  walking  in  the  wind,  which  blew  his  hat-string  from  his  coat  button";  B,  "two 
men  on  a  boat";  C,  "cannon,  and  man  shooting":  D,  "boy,  and  his  mamma  telling  him  not  to  do 
something'';  E,  "  frightened  girl"  ;  F,  "  man  walking  in  the  rain  ";  G,  Chinaman  ;  H,  windmill 
to  work  machinery  below  ;  I.  "girl  out  walking";  J,  New  York  fire-boat  ;  K.  "baggage  man  at 
depot";  L  and  M,  engines  running  over  men  ;  N,  effort  at  horizon  ;  a,  sun  ;  b,  steamboat;  c.  cap- 
tain on  sail  ;  d,  ship  with  four  sails  ;  e,  ship  with  two  sails  ;  f,  cannon  on  war-ship  ;  g,  big  sail  boat. 


^bOP  TH* 

UNIVERSITY 



Ubtf  0*8^1 


ft 


d 

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1894   DRAWINGS — FOUR    YKARS    OLD 

A,  cat  ;  B,  man  with  wheelbarrow  ;  C,  man  to  \vind  clock  ;  D,  New  York  fire  boat  ;  K.  house, 
horse,  and  wagon  ;  a,  balloon  :  b.  little  man  looking  out  of  the  window  ;  c.  "rope  to  let  the  heat 
out  or  in  of  the  chimney  " ;  d,  front  door  ;  F— a.  cherries  on  stem  ;  b,  letter  box  ;  c,  mortar  carrier  : 
d,  bells  ;  e.  door  ;  f,  hill  with  somebody  looking  over  it. 


RECORD    CONTINUED 

upon  which  they  were  living  at  the  time.  Mice  always 
fall  on  their  feet  like  cats.  Squealy's  condition,  upon 
examination,  showed  that  he,  too,  had  received  his  share 
in  the  battle  royal  that  had  just  taken  place,  for  his  ears 
were  covered  with  blood.  I  reached  out  to  pick  him 
up,  to  put  him  alone  for  the  night,  when  he  bit  me,  a 
very  sharp  little  nip,  which  hurt  and  brought  blood. 
This  sealed  his  fate.  We  concluded  that  he  was  not 
of  sufficiently  gentle  mouse-birth  to  live  among  gentle- 
folks, and  we  returned  him  next  day  to  the  fancier  from 
whom  we  had  bought  him. 

Since  that  time  there  has  been  peace  and  quiet,  day 
and  night,  and  Whitey  has  shown  the  most  delightful 
habits.  She  is  sitting  now,  as  I  write,  within  two  inches 
of  my  pen,  lifting  her  nose  in  the  air  in  the  dainty  fash- 
ion she  has,  as  if  she  smells  cheese,  or  possibly  ink,  for 
I  frequently  have  to  rescue  her  from  the  fascination  of 
the  ink-bottle.  She  will  lift  herself  up  and  look  into 
its  inky  darkness  in  the  most  knowing  way.  Some- 
times she  comes  up  to  my  hand  as  I  write,  when  every- 
thing is  very  quiet,  and  puts  her  little  cold  nose  against 
my  fingers,  as  if  to  pet  me.  Then  she  scampers  away 
for  a  run  in  and  out  among  the  books  and  papers  on 
the  table,  which  is  her  nightly  treat.  She  spends  all 
her  days  in  a  home  she  has  made  her  own.  It  is  a 
newspaper -basket  on  a  stand,  and  is  lined  with  wad- 
ding which  is  covered  with  red  plush.  She  has  been 
bright  enough  to  nibble  a  hole  in  the  plush  and  pull 
out  a  large  handful  of  wadding,  which  she  has  made 
soft  with  her  little  teeth,  making  the  loveliest  bed  im- 
aginable, upon  and  under  which  she  sleeps,  having  at 
the  same  time  given  herself  a  hiding-place  under  the 
plush,  to  which  she  often  runs. 

159 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

Like  some  human  beings,  she  has  a  way  of  making 
herself  very  comfortable.  One  thing  she  does  that  is 
rather  queer  for  a  white  mouse.  We  often  put  her  up 
high,  in  some  place  where  she  feels  uncomfortable  or 
not  safe,  and  she  jumps  at  once,  always  towards  me, 
landing  upon  some  part  of  my  body.  We  found  she 
would  do  this  by  one  time  placing  both  mice,  heads 
down,  upon  the  straight  back  of  a  sofa,  down  which 
Squealy  would  crawl  every  time ;  but  Whitey  did  it  only 
once,  jumping  every  time  afterwards. 

When  running  about,  she  is  very  independent  in 
her  movements,  and  uses  her  front  feet  exactly  as  a 
kangaroo  might.  I  have  often  seen  her  hold  on  with 
her  hind  feet,  or  stand  up  on  them  and  reach  her  head 
and  forefeet  away  out,  as  if  to  reach  something.  Then 
she  will  settle  back  again  and  scamper  along.  When 
wide  awake  and  running,  her  body  is  raised  fully  half 
an  inch  from  the  floor ;  but  when  lazy,  she  drags  her 
body,  feet,  and  tail,  along  on  the  same  plane,  in  the  lazi- 
est possible  way,  her  body  touching  the  surface  over 
which  she  is  crawling. 

Harold  frequently  gives  Whitey  a  ride  upon  one  of 
his  toy-engines,  or  he  will  put  her  in  a  block-house  as 
he  builds  it,  and  in  either  case,  or,  for  that  matter,  wher- 
ever he  puts  her,  if  contented,  she  will  cuddle  up  into 
a  little  ball  and  go  to  sleep.  Sometimes  she  will  play 
peep  with  him  in  a  very  fascinating  way.  We  took 
Whitey  with  us  to  our  summer  home,  where  she  lived 
contentedly  in  my  study,  exploring  every  nook  and 
corner  she  could  reach.  Occasionally  we  would  let  her 
go  about  the  house.  One  time  we  found  her  down- 
stairs in  the  pantry,  possibly  looking  for  cheese. 

About  three  weeks  after  our  return  she  had  a  family 

160 


RECORD    CONTINUED 

of  seven  brown  mice,  which  delighted  Harold.  He  fed 
the  mother  every  day,  and  watched  the  curious  move- 
ments of  the  little  ones.  As  they  grew  they  got  away. 
It  was  impossible  to  tame  them,  and  Whitey  did  not 
seem  to  care  for  them  as  Harold  expected  she  would. 
She  would  run  away  from  the  nest  we  made  for  them, 
and  would  try  to  keep  away.  And  the  little  "  Brownies," 
as  Harold  called  them,  disappeared  one  by  one,  to  be 
caught  later,  no  doubt,  in  the  mouse-trap  down-stairs. 
"Whitey  then  seemed  to  become  playful,  as  she  had  been 
at  first,  but  a  cruel  fate  overtook  her.  One  day  a  young 
kitten  belonging  to  Harold  got  into  the  study  by  acci- 
dent. We  found  kitty  seated  comfortably  in  the  corner 
of  a  closet  that  mousie  favored,  and  we  thought  she 
looked  as  if  she  had  been  enjoying  a  very  good  meal. 
But  we  hoped  against  hope,  and  for  days  we  looked 
for  Whitey  to  come  back.  She  never  came,  but  we 
often  find  kitty  in  the  same  corner  of  the  closet  look- 
ing very  watchful.  As  Harold  cries  bitterly  whenever 
he  hears  of  anything  being  hurt  or  killed,  we  have 
let  him  think  that  Whitey  has  gone  away  on  a  visit, 
from  which  she  will  no  doubt  return. 

A  white  mouse  is  a  dainty  little  pet,  very  interesting, 
and  giving  little  trouble — that  is,  if  you  can  find  one 
that  does  not  bite,  as  we  have  done. 

The  following  is  a  favorite  story  of  Harold's,  embody- 
ing our  experience  with  training  butterflies  when  he 
was  four  years  old,  which  I  wrote  and  had  published  in 
/St.  Nicholas: 

BUTTERFLY  PETS 

It  may  seem  very  strange  to  hear  of  butterflies  as 
pets,  but  there  is  now  in  New  York  City  a  little  boy 

L  161 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

who  had  as  pets,  during  September  and  November  of 
last  year,  four  Archippus  butterflies,  and  the  illustra- 
tions to  this  article  were  taken  from  these  real  models. 

The  Archippus  is  one  of  our  largest  butterflies,  meas- 
uring from  three  to  four  and  a  half  inches  across  its 
outspread  wings.  It  appears  in  the  latter  part  of  July, 
and  lives  all  through  September,  and  sometimes  into 
the  early  part  of  October,  if  the  weather  is  mild  and 
warm.  It  loves  the  sunshine,  and  has  a  very  leisurely 
and  graceful  manner  of  flying  about  from  flower  to 
flower,  as  if  it  were  enjoying  everything  to  the  utmost. 
Helen  Conant  tells  us  truly  in  her  charming  little  book, 
The  Butterfly  Hunters,  that  there  is  no  butterfly  that 
takes  such  strong  hold  of  one's  fingers  with  its  feet  as  the 
Archippus.  It  is  not  so  bright  in  color  as  some  others, 
but  the  wings  are  tawny  orange,  and  are  beautifully 
bordered  with  black  dotted  with  white.  Fine  black 
veins  cross  the  wings,  and  on  the  tip  of  the  fore  wing 
are  several  yellow  and  white  spots  extending  up  on  the 
front  border.  The  under  sides  of  the  wings  are  a  deep 
yellow,  bordered  and  veined  like  the  upper  sides.  The 
head  and  the  thorax,  or  chest  part,  are  black,  spotted 
with  white,  and  the  slender  feelers  or  antennae  end  in  a 
long  knob. 

The  little  boy  referred  to  above,  whose  name  is  Har- 
old, was  out  in  the  fields  near  Bayonne,  New  Jersey, 
one  sunny  morning  in  September,  playing  with  his  usual 
companion,  when  they  happened  to  meet  two  small 
"  butterfly  hunters "  who  had  caught  three  very  large 
Archippus  butterflies. 

Harold  was  charmed  with  the  pretty  creatures,  and 
stood  quite  still,  gazing  eager -eyed  and  wistful.  The 
older  boy  suggested  that  the  boy  who  held  the  butter- 

162 


RECORD    CONTINUED 

flies  should  give  one  to  him,  which  was  instantly  and 
kindly  done,  and  Harold  heartily  thanked  them  and 
took  home  his  prize  very  carefully. 

The  idea  then  occurred  to  me  to  find  out  how  long 
the  butterfly  would  live  if  tenderly  cared  for;  as  re- 
cently a  writer,  in  describing  some  captured  butterflies, 
spoke  of  their  short  life,  saying  that  from  ten  to  four- 
teen days  was  the  average. 

Harold's  first  butterfly  escaped,  after  a  week,  through 
an  unnoticed  crack  in  the  window ;  but  he  had  been 
taught  to  feed  quietly  from  his  finger,  a  glass,  or  a 
flower.  He  said  at  once,  "  We  must  go  to  look  for 
another,  or  I  will  have  to  cry !"  You  must  remember 
that  he  was  only  four  years  old. 

He  went  into  the  fields  again,  and  though  he  saw 
several  small  butterflies,  found  no  Archippus,  and  met 
no  boy -hunters.  For  a  week  the  loss  of  his  pet  was 
mourned,  and  then  a  beautiful  specimen  was  spied  in  a 
neighboring  yard.  Harold  watched  it  from  a  window 
until  it  disappeared,  and  then  begged  his  mother  to  go 
with  him  in  search  of  it.  On  the  way  he  interested 
several  small  boys  in  his  quest,  and  they  found  the  but- 
terfly, secured  him,  and  gave  him  to  Harold,  who  brought 
him  home  in  triumph.  At  home  he  found  awaiting  his 
return  another  Archippus,  which  had  been  caught  by  a 
boy  who  had  heard  he  wanted  one.  Evidently  all  the 
boys  in  the  neighborhood  were  interested,  for  the  next 
day  still  another  was  brought.  It  took  only  one  day  to 
teach  one  of  the  new  butterflies  to  eat  the  sugar  syrup 
with  which  they  were  fed.  The  others  waited  several 
days  before  they  seemed  to  understand  what  was  being 
done. 

In  teaching  them  it  was  necessary  to  handle  them 

163 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

very  gently,  always  closing  the  wings,  and  holding  the 
butterfly  by  them  near  the  head,  releasing  the  feet  very 
carefully  at  the  same  time  with  the  other  hand,  as  the 
Archippus  clings  very  tenaciously,  the  feet  having  two 
fork-like  claws  which  take  a  very  strong  hold  of  any 
rough  surface.  The  butterflies  slept  on  the  lace  cur- 
tains by  the  windows,  and  therefore,  when  lifted,  had  to 
be  moved  very  cautiously.  By  putting  a  finger  in  front 
of  the  butterfly's  antennae,  and  touching  one  of  them 
ver}7  lightly  (as  if  to  let  the  little  creature  know  the 
finger  was  there),  the  butterfly  would  in  almost  every 
instance  creep  upon  the  extended  finger,  where,  after 
one  or  two  trials,  he  would  sit  contentedly,  sipping  his 
sugar-water. 

One  of  Harold's  pets  used  his  front  feet  in  a  very  im- 
patient way,  kicking  out  right  and  left,  as  if  hunting  for 
the  finger  which  was  usually  there  when  he  was  ready  to 
pay  attention  to  cleaning  his  wings,  body,  and  feet,  after 
a  meal  of  thick  and  sticky  sugar-water.  His  washing 
was  done  very  daintily,  in  a  basin  or  bowl  in  which 
there  was  about  a  gill  of  water.  At  the  same  time  he 
alternately  projected  and  drew  in  the  trunk-like  probos- 
cis with  which  he  fed — which  is  altogether  a  remark- 
able and  very  interesting  feature.  When  not  in  use, 
this  organ  is  coiled  up  very  closely,  and  when  the  but- 
terfly is  asleep  the  coil  is  so  small  that  it  can  scarcely 
be  seen.  When  feeding  or  taking  his  bath  the  butterfly 
frequently  rolled  his  proboscis  up  half-way,  and  then 
opened  it  again  and  went  on  with  what  he  was  doing. 

It  was  very  curious  to  note  the  degree  of  intelligence 
shown  by  this  butterfly  during  the  six  weeks  of  his  life 
as  a  pet.  It  was  a  very  pretty  sight  to  see  him  sit  in 
the  bowl  of  water,  now  lapping,  then  picking  all  over 

164 


v\ 


THE    BUTTERFLY    ON    THE    CURTAIN 


RECORD    CONTINUED 

his  coat  and  wings,  again  taking  a  sip,  and  so  on,  until 
he  seemed  well  satisfied  with  his  condition,  and  flew 
away.  He  would  alight  upon  the  curtain,  over  which 
he  crawled  slowly,  very  likely  to  dry  the  under  side  of 
his  body,  which  had  touched  the  water ;  then  he  would 
close  his  wings,  and  take  his  usual  afternoon  nap.  Be- 
fore eating  he  was  very  active,  fluttering  about  in  the 
sunshine,  up  and  down  the  curtains  and  about  the 
room,  and  occasionally  resting  upon  Harold's  shoulder 
or  hand,  or  on  the  floor,  where  he  would  bask  in  the 
sunshine  with  wide-open  wings.  Sometimes  we  would 
find  him  on  the  under  side  of  the  head  of  the  sofa. 

This  butterfly's  companion  lived  with  him,  feeding 
from  the  same  glass  and  sleeping  near  him,  in  the  same 
closet  or  on  the  curtain,  for  nearly  three  weeks,  when, 
through  inadvertence,  the  poor  creature  was  left  in  a 
room  for  a  moment  where  the  gas  had  been  lighted,  and 
he  sealed  his  own  doom  by  flying  through  the  blaze. 
He  fell  to  the  floor,  apparently  unhurt,  but  we  soon 
learned  that  he  could  not  live. 

The  third  butterfly  brought  to  Harold  escaped  through 
the  same  space  between  the  windows  that  gave  liberty 
to  the  first  one.  They  would  flutter  up  and  down  the 
windows  in  the  sunshine,  except  when  resting  upon  the 
curtains,  and  in  this  way  two  of  them  got  between 
the  sashes — the  lower  one  having  been  raised  to  give 
room  for  the  window -screen  —  and  escaped.  A  week 
after  the  first  three  were  brought,  another  boy  came 
with  a  fine  Archippus,  which  eventually  broke  his  wing. 
We  brought  Harold's  pets  to  New  York,  in  a  covered 
and  well -ventilated  box,  where  a  compassionate  drug- 
gist etherized  the  broken  -  winged  butterfly.  Harold 
feared  he  was  suffering,  and  was  glad  to  see  him  die.  It 

165 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

was  soon  after  this  that  the  other  butterfly  flew  through 
the  gas,  and  then  we  had  only  one,  and  the  season  was 
too  far  advanced  to  catch  any  more.  This  butterfly 
was  fed  once  a  day  with  honey,  and  was  allowed  to  fly 
about  in  the  sunshine  whenever  that  was  possible.  He 
was  also  put  away  very  carefully  at  night  in  a  dark 
closet,  where  he  liked  to  sleep  resting  upon  some  soft 
material.  If  put  down  upon  the  shelf,  he  would  flutter 
about  in  the  dark  until  he  found  something  soft.  At 
one  place,  during  their  travels,  the  three  butterflies  slept 
on  the  window,  behind  the  curtains,  and  in  the  morning 
they  would  begin  their  fluttering  as  soon  as  the  sun- 
shine came.  The  life  of  the  last  butterfly  was  prolonged 
for  several  weeks  by  great  care,  but  eventually  he  suc- 
cumbed to  three  days  of  rain  while  we  were  travelling, 
and  he  had  no  sunny  curtain  upon  which  to  bask. 
Harold  mourned  the  loss  of  his  pet  for  a  long  time. 


a'6cdefgh  ij  K 
m  no  p  q  PS 

t  U  v  W  X  V 


SPONTANEOUS    WRITING   FROM    MEMORY 


"TWO    TIMES   TWO 


A    FAMILY   PORTRAIT 


THE    BEGINNINGS    OF    A    NAVY 


1895   AND   1896  DRAWINGS 

1895— Printed  work  from  memory  ;  working  out  the  two  table  ;  music  from  memory 
free-hand  efforts  ;  two  views  of  a  war  boat.     1896 — The  Valkyrie. 


CHAPTEE  VI 

NUMBER  -  WORK— COMPOSITION— FANCY  —  THE  STORY 
OF  HIS  STUFFED  KITTY  — THE  ADVENTURES  OF  A 
LADY-BUG 

MAY  23,  1895. — Harold  is  now  five  years  old.  He 
works  at  numbers  in  a  very  curious  way.  He  just  sang 
to  himself :  "  I  wonder  how  many  thumbs  there  are  in 
the  world.  But  I  know.  Mamma  doesn't  know.  She 
has  two  and  I  have  two,  and  that  makes  four  in  this 
room."  Then  he  said,  "  And  that's  all  we  know."  Then 
he  counted  up  fourteen  thumbs  in  the  house,  for  seven 
people. 

A  few  days  ago  he  wanted  to  find  out  how  many 
pennies  he  needed  to  make  a  dollar.  He  had  seventy- 
four  cents.  He  marked  on  a  slip  of  paper  from  70  to 
100,  and  then  beginning  at  74  as  1,  he  counted  up  to 
100,  putting  down  each  number  from  1  to  15,  then 
counting  verbally,  as  if  he  had  found  it  was  not  neces- 
sary to  write  out  each  number  (see  illustration  facing  p. 
182).  He  then  announced  triumphantly  that  he  needed 
twenty-six  pennies  to  make  a  dollar.  There  were  two 
persons  in  the  room  to  whom  he  could  have  applied  had 
he  cared  to  ask,  but  he  seems  to  prefer  to  help  himself 
when  he  can,  and  we  do  not  interfere.  He  does  not  sus- 
pect that  he  is  doing  anything  unusual,  therefore  he  is 
always  ready  to  explain. 

He  said  the  other  day,  "Is  the  sun  Jesus's  light?" 

167 


FIFTH    YEAR 

feared  he  was  too  young  to  attempt  to  teach  him  about 
units,  tens,  and  hundreds  by  name.  I  also  told  him  that 
when  he  reached  nineteen  it  began  in  the  same  way 
again,  only  with  two  instead  of  one,  saying  he  must  use 
twenty,  then  twenty-one,  etc.  He  then  asked  what 
came  after  twenty-nine.  I  said  he  should  use  three, 
four,  and  five,  and  so  on  in  the  same  way  as  he  had 
used  two  in  twenty.  lie  then  began  by  himself,  count- 
ing up  to  ninety-nine,  but  saying  three-ty  and  five-ty  for 
thirty  and  fifty,  until  I  corrected  him.  For  a  long  time 
after  this  he  thought  only  of  numbers  as  consisting  of 
one  or  two  figures— as,  for  instance,  8  or  24,  and  he  was 
perfectly  satisfied  to  go  no  further  than  ninety -nine 
when  counting  for  his  own  amusement.  It  was  at  this 
stage  of  his  number- work  that  I  found  him  interested  in 
copying  printed  numbers.  He  asked  me  one  day  for  a 
book  that  began  at  page  1.  After  a  long  search  I  found 
an  old  paper  novel  that  began  with  page  1  on  the  open- 
ing page  of  the  story,  instead  of  beginning,  as  books  usu- 
ally do,  with  page  5  or  6.  This  book  I  gave  to  him  for 
his  own.  For  two  weeks  I  saw  him  at  various  times 
lying  upon  the  floor  with  it,  a  pencil,  and  also  his  Slov- 
enly Peter  book.  I  did  not  trouble  to  look  into  what  he 
was  doing,  for  he  seemed  content ;  and  when  at  the  end 
of  this  time  he  came  to  me  and  said  that  Slovenly  Peter 
had  forty -four  pages,  I  was  very  much  surprised.  I 
thought  he  might  have  guessed  it,  so  I  turned  to  page 
33  and  asked  him  what  page  it  was.  He  answered  cor- 
rectly at  once.  Then  I  looked  into  the  matter  further, 
and  found  that  he  had  taken  his  pencil  and  had  copied 
from  page  1  to  44  in  the  iiovel,  and  had  put  the  num- 
bers at  the  foot  of  the  page  in  Slovenly  Peter.  By  doing 
this,  counting  and  comparing  with  the  printed  number 

169 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

above,  he  had  learned  the  appearance  of  numbers.  I 
said  nothing  more  about  the  matter  at  the  time,  but 
from  this  on  I  noticed  that  he  always  knew  numbers 
when  he  saw  them.  One  day  when  on  the  train  he 
saw  a  passing  car  with  the  number  324  on  its  side.  He 
instantly  asked  what  three  numbers  together  meant.  I 
told  him  then  about  hundreds,  explaining  that  after  99 
came  100, 101,  and  so  on  the  same  way  up.  This  satis- 
fied him  for  a  long  time;  but  one  day,  when  on  the 
street,  he  noticed  a  house  numbered  2105,  and  asked 
me  what  four  numbers  together  meant.  I  then  ex- 
plained about  a  thousand  coming  after  999,  and  so  on 
up  to  millions,  billions,  trillions,  quadrillions,  etc.,  and 
about  adding  three  more  naughts  to  each  one.  These 
terms  seemed  to  take  his  fancy,  and  he  often  asked 
about  their  order;  and  one  day  he  came  to  me  and 
exclaimed :  "  I  could  count  to  quadrillions  if  I  had  time 
enough,  couldn't  I  ?  A  quadrillion  has  fifteen  ciphers." 
This  was  before  he  was  six  years  old. 

Dr.  Preyer  thought  the  child  was  mistaken  in  the 
number  of  ciphers,  and  wrote:  "If  the  child  exclaims  at 
this  age  that  CA  quadrillion  has  fifteen  ciphers,'  this 
wrong  statement  should  not  be  mentioned.  ...  If  he 
had  worked  it  out  by  threes,  then  he  would  have  found 
twenty-four  ciphers ;  a  million  having  six,  a  thousand 
millions  nine,  a  billion  twelve,  a  thousand  billions  fifteen, 
a  trillion  eighteen,  a  thousand  trillions  twenty -one,  a 
quadrillion  twenty-four.  It  would  have  been  rather 
remarkable  if  he  had  found  this  by  himself." 

Dr.  Harris  explains,  however,  that  the  child  was  right, 
for  Dr.  Preyer  counted  by  the  Continental  method,  and 
the  child  referred  to  in  the  record  had  his  questions 
answered  according  to  American  counting.  (The  record 

170 


1895    ENGINE    DRAWINGS FIVE    YEARS    OLD 


FIFTH    YEAR 

also  shows  how  at  six  years  of  age  he  found  out  for  him- 
self that  he  could  count  to  hundreds  on  the  type-writer 
by  using  the  figures  1  to  9  and  the  letter  o.) 

He  took  up  printed  letters  in  the  same  easy  way  that 
he  worked  out  numbers,  and  thus  learned  the  alphabet, 
as  may  be  seen  from  the  various  illustrations  relating  to 
this  phase,  learning  to  read  and  spell,  eventually,  by  the 
aid  of  memory  and  by  comparison  of  the  words  he  knew 
from  memory  with  the  printed  wrords  before  him.  (See 
illustrations  facing  p.  166.)  His  illustrated  books  of  pigs, 
cats,  and  dogs,  etc.,  furnished  him  with  sufficient  material 
for  this  sort  of  work,  and  his  interest  was  kept  up  by  the 
illustrations,  and  sufficient  admixture  of  out-door  play  to 
create  a  desire  for  in-door  amusement. 

His  efforts  at  figure-drawing  (free-hand)  in  his  fifth 
year  show  steady  improvement,  as  may  be  seen  from 
illustrations  facing  p.  168. 

His  continued  interest  in  mechanical  work,  boats,  etc., 
may  be  seen  from  illustrations  facing  p.  168.  The  cut 
was  given  just  as  represented,  in  response  to  the  request 
of  a  playmate  of  five,  who  said  he  did  not  know  the  parts 
of  an  engine,  whereupon  he  drew  the  parts  and  gave 
the  name  of  each  part  as  noted,  giving  at  the  same  time 
a  graphic  description  of  how  each  part  worked. 

December  10. — This  evening  Harold  was  very  anx- 
ious to  use  my  type- writer.  My  stenographer  cautioned 
him  not  to  touch  it — this  was  before  he  had  learned 
to  use  it  —  and  we  heard  him  say  to  his  playmate, 
another  little  boy,  "  Come  away,  Leo ;  when  you  keep 
looking  at  it,  it  tempts  you  to  touch  it,  and  it  is  bet- 
ter to  go  away."  We  allowed  him  shortly  after  to 
try,  and  he  soon  mastered  the  intricacies  of  the  ma- 
chine. He  asked  this  evening  about  seeing  faces  go- 

171 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

ing  up  and  down  when  going  to  sleep ;  he  described  one 
as  round,  with  two  dots  for  eyes,  and  a  straight  nose  and 
mouth,  that  all  changed  to  two  marks  across  each  other 

like  this  /  /  ,  illustrating  by  crossed  fingers.  Miss  B 

said  to  him  to-day  in  the  basement  of  a  toy-store, u  Come, 
Harold,  let  us  go,  it  is  so  close  in  here."  He  replied, 
"  Close  to  what  ?" 

He  is  full  of  fancy,  and  he  invests  his  stuifed  kitty 
with  every  loving  attribute  he  can  think  of.  To- 
day he  said  to  her,  "  Step  over  yourself,  kitty."  Then 
he  went  on :  "  There  are  two  ways  of  walking  over 
yourself.  I  can  step  on  myself,  step  one  foot  on  the 
other,  that's  touching  myself."  Then  he  said  that  kitty 
replied,  "  I  can't,  unless  I  put  my  feet  over  my  head,  and 
that  would  hurt  my  nose  and  eyes."  This  same  kitty 
was  his  "  darling  "  for  nearly  four  years  (until  he  was 
seven  years  old),  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  she  was  not 
discarded  because  of  lack  of  love,  but  because  a  boy 
visitor  broke  her  neck  and  back  and  she  had  to  go  to 
the  hospital.  He  sent  the  boy  home,  and  wrote  him  a 
note  telling  him  to  never  come  again.  On  kitty's  back 
I  found  a  handkerchief  bandage  with  a  slip  of  paper 
pinned  to  it  on  which  was  written  the  fact  that  kitty 
had  been  hurt  (see  illustration  facing  p.  192.) 

She  was  taken  to  bed  with  him  every  night  during 
this  entire  period  of  devotion ;  when  in  trouble  he  would 
go  to  her,  clasp  her  in  his  arms,  and  say,  in  heart-rend- 
ing tones,  "  Oh,  my  kitty !"  No  one  was  allowed  to 
speak  slightingly  to  her,  and  he  even  begged  his  mother 
not  to  let  the  boys  laugh  at  her.  When  the  cotton 
in  her  neck  became  displaced  he  instantly  seized  upon 
the  idea  that  the  limp  condition  allowed  her  to  bend 
her  head  and  say  good-morning,  which  he  would  cause 

172 


1895   DRAWINGS — FIVE   YEARS   OLD 

a.  stationary  engine  ;  b,  windmill  worked  by  cylinder  connecting  with  a  ;  A,  a  dredger  ;  B, 
"stationary  engine  attached  to  a  dredger";  C,  upper  part  of  a  sewing-machine  ;  D,  alcohol  engine  ; 
E,  man  wheeling  a  baby  in  coach. 


-^Ls;'1^ 

UNIVERSITY 
Of 


>*„ 


ff 


Kfr 


1895   DRAWINGS— FIVE   YEARS   OLD 

A,  "  the  way  to  li;ing  a  bell  on  an  engine" ;  B.  boat  going  over  sand-bar  ;  C,  boat  going  between 
two  mountains  ;  D,  boat  with  anchor  (note  size  of  anchor)  ;  E,  "this  is  a  pump,  and  the  water 
pulls  clown  the  weight  to  make  the  clapper  hit  the  bell." 


FIFTH    YEAR 

her  to  do  every  morning.  His  conversations  with  her 
at  night  and  early  morning  were  frequent  and  very 
charming.  He  always  pretended  that  she  was  an- 
swering him  in  a  squeaky  voice.  She  grew  very  dim. 
about  the  face  from  much  hugging,  and  her  neck  event- 
ually gave  way  from  many  "good-mornings;"  so  in- 
numerable "  stitches  "  had  to  be  taken,  until  at  last  even 
Harold  saw  that  no  more  could  be  taken.  Then  for  a 
long  time  he  submitted  to  a  great  break  in  her  body 
from  the  neck  down,  about  two  inches  in  length;  but 
even  this  was  for  a  purpose,  for  he  frequently  showed 
me  through  this  break  how  her  "heart"  would  move. 
(A  piece  of  the  cotton  inside  did  move  every  time  he 
made  kitty  move  a  certain  way.)  As  the  features  faded 
out,  he  kept  appealing  to  me  to  say  whether  I  did  not 
think  she  looked  "so  gentle,"  "so  smiling,"  and  when- 
ever any  one  of  his  numerous  friends  presented  him  with 
a  new  stuffed  kitty — no  doubt  because  the  old  one  sug- 
gested the  gift — he  invariably  ^-presented  the  new  kitty 
to  some  one  else  and  clung  to  his  "  darling,"  as  he  called 
her.  At  last  it  seemed  to  dawn  upon  him  that  she  was 
failing,  and  he  suggested  that  I  take  him  to  see  some 
covers  for  stuffed  kitties,  and  find  out  whether  he  could 
get  a  "  smiling "  one.  I  remember  he  comforted  him- 
self afterwards  with  the  thought  that  if  kitties  had 
nine  lives  he  could  use  nine  covers.  We  found  a  cover 
that  to  him  seemed  smiling.  It  was  in  a  country  store, 
where  goods  are  likely  to  be  shop- worn,  and  this  kitty- 
cover  had  seen  its  best  days  before  he  bought  it.  I  pre- 
pared to  cover  the  old  kitty,  but  I  had  to  compromise 
on  closing  the  lower  edges  with  a  large  safety-pin  in 
such  a  manner  that  he  could  uncover  his  "darling" 
whenever  she  wanted  to  talk  to  him.  For  several  weeks 

173 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

he  fancied  that  she  couldn't  hear  him  when  he  talked 
to  her,  but  I  assured  him  she  could ;  so  eventually  he  un- 
covered her  very  seldom,  but  the  safety-pin  was  a  fixture 
to  the  end  of  her  existence  as  a  comrade.  When  we 
were  ready  to  travel  anywhere,  kitty  always  went 
along,  and  if  there  was  no  room  in  the  travelling-bag, 
he  would  kiss  her  good-bye  and  place  her.  on  top  in  one 
of  the  trunks,  in  order,  as  he  said,  that  she  could  breathe 
and  would  not  be  squeezed.  Once  he  carried  her  in  his 
arms  on  a  long  journey  and  showed  her  everything  he 
thought  of  interest.  During  the  day,  while  he  was  at 
play,  she  was  propped  up  in  his  crib  and  told  to  wait 
for  him,  that  he  would  come  back  again  at  night,  etc. 
When  he  wanted  to  find  her  for  consolation,  he  knew 
just  where  to  go  every  time,  and  woe  betide  the  person 
who  couldn't  find  "  my  kitty."  I  well  remember  a  trip 
by  candle-light  to  bring  her  in  from  the  fence  at  the 
extreme  end  of  the  garden,  where  she  had  been  placed 
during  the  day  to  watch  Harold  "  dig  at  his  reservoir," 
that  occupied  him  three  years,  and  amused  not  only  him 
but  all  his  numerous  playmates.  Once  it  would  be  a  res- 
ervoir, another  time  a  cellar  to  a  house,  once  a  sand-pile 
— for  which  he  bought  two  loads  of  sand — again  a  gar- 
den, once  even  a  cemetery,  where  a  funeral  over  Dollie 
was  held  in  great  state.  To  us  it  always  seemed  to  be 
a  great  big  hole,  to  be  refilled  in  time.  Kitty  had  to 
superintend  all  these  operations,  and  indeed  his  entire 
little  life  seemed  divided  in  its  interests  between  kitty 
and  himself,  and  no  amount  of  badinage,  to  which  he 
was  often  subject  from  those  who  were  beyond  our  con- 
trol, would  disturb  this  loyalty  to  his  "  darling  kitty." 

The  following  is  a  favorite  story  of  his  that  I  told  to 
him  just  before  the  election  of  President  McKinley, 

174 


1895    DRAWINGS FIVE    YEARS    OLD 

A,  elevated  railroad  from  South  Ferry — a.  Grand  Street  ;  b,  Bleecker  Street  ;  c.  Eighth  Street  ; 
d,  Fourteenth  Street.  Note  curve  between  Eighth  Street  and  Bleecker  Street,  as  it  should  be. 
When  four  years  old  the  child  could  tell  ;ill  the  stations  from  South  Ferry  to  Fifty-eighth  Street 

jm  memory  ;  B,  windmill  to  work  the  pump  from  which  the  water,  a,  is  pouring. 


from  men 


1895    DRAWINGS— FIVE    YEARS   OLD 

A,  Market  Street  car  in  Philadelphia  ;  B,  tools,  and  a  man  shooting  ;  C,  well-trapped  wash-stand 
c.  poorly  trapped  wash  stand  ;  D,  hoisting-engine  for  derrick. 


c,  poor 


OF  TH* 

UNIVERSITY 


FIFTH    YEAR 

when  he  was  very  much  interested  in  the  remarks  he 
heard  so  frequently  about  gold  and  silver.  The  story  is 
based  upon  our  experience,  and  is  one  of  many  that  I 
used  to  interest  him  when  I  could  not  find  printed 
stories  that  were  simple  enough  to  suit  my  purpose. 
His  constant  plea  was  to  read  to  him  stories  that  he 
could  understand,  and  to  read  them  understandingly, 
even  if  they  were  not  printed  thus ;  but  he  begged  me 
to  do  so  quickly  and  not  stop  and  explain.  He  wanted 
the  simple  words,  but  if  compelled  to  choose,  preferred 
to  hear  the  difficult  words  without  a  break  in  his  listen- 
ing, to  hearing  simple  words  with  explanations. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  A  LADY-BUG 

[Told  by  fierself  to  Mrs.  Fly,  on  the  window-pane] 

I  WAS  creeping  along  the  pavement  last  Friday  after- 
noon, very  quietly,  and  quite  intent  on  my  own  business, 
on  my  way  to  see  Mrs.  Gold-bug  and  her  little  daugh- 
ter, when  I  felt  myself  lifted,  carefully,  it  is  true,  but 
still  lifted,  away  up  into  the  air.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if 
it  might  be  as  high  as  up  to  the  sky.  But  it  couldn't 
have  been,  for  after  hearing  myself  admired  I  was  put 
into  a  house  of  some  sort  that  was  made  of  paper,  for 
I  know  what  paper  is,  having  heard  it  rustle  many  a 
time.  This  paper  house  had  four  corners,  and  one  corner 
was  torn  off  and  folded  crosswise  so  as  to  give  me  some 
air.  I  happen  to  know  this,  because  while  I  was  being 
admired  I  heard  what  must  have  been  a  little  boy's 
voice  say,  "  Oh,  mamma,  let  us  keep  it  and  take  care  of 
it  like  we  did  the  butterflies,"  and  I  suppose  the  person 
who  picked  me  up  must  have  been  his  mamma,  for  I 

175 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

heard  some  one  say,  "  I  don't  see  how  we  can,  for  we 
are  going  to  the  park,  and  what  can  we  do  with  her, 
dear  little  lady-bug.  Oh,  I  see ;  I  will  tear  off  a  corner 
of  the  envelope  of  this  letter  I  intended  to  post,  and  we 
can  carry  her  nicely  in  this  until  we  reach  home  again. 
See,  Harold,  she  can  get  air  through  this  corner  even 
when  I  hold  it  shut,  this  way."  So  that  is  how  I 
knew  it. 

What  I  thought  to  be  rooms  of  a  paper  house  was 
really  the  folded  letter.  I  do  not  think  that  I  was  very 
foolish  in  believing  this,  Mrs.  Fly,  although  you  may 
think  so ;  yet,  after  all,  it  was  only  a  letter  in  a  common 
envelope.  What  a  queer  world  this  is !  And  then  the 
distance,  too,  that  I  supposed  I  was  being  carried  when 
I  was  lifted  from  the  pavement !  Instead  of  its  being 
very,  very  great,  as  I  supposed,  it  was  only  about  half  the 
length  of  one  of  those  queer-looking  creatures  I  used  to 
see  walking  along  the  streets  every  day,  and  that  I  heard 
one  day  were  called  men  and  women.  That's  what 
comes  of  being  so  little — everything  seems  so  very  big. 
Since  I  am  to  live  here,  now,  I  suppose  I  will  never  see 
many  more  of  those  queer  creatures;  still  I  may  have  a 
happier  time  of  it  than  I  have  had  lately.  I  heard 
voices  everywhere,  some  time  ago,  talking  about  silver 
and  gold  and  about  hard  times.  I'm  sure  there  must 
be  some  very  queer  reason  for  my  trouble  in  finding  the 
little  I  need  to  eat — a  thing  that  has  never  happened  be- 
fore in  my  long  life  of  almost  a  hundred  days. 

When  I  was  carried  to  the  park  to  -  day  (I  wonder 
what  park  means?),  I  heard  the  little  boy  say  to  his 
mother  a  great  many  curious  things  that  I  could  not 
understand  at  all.  I  have  a  pretty  good  memory  (that 
is  how  I  know  I  have  lived  a  hundred  days),  and  I 

176 


1895   BOAT   DRAWINGS — FIVE   YEARS    OLD 


^         OF  THB 


JR 

UNIVERSITY 


1895   DRAWINGS FIVE    YEARS   OLD 

A,  he  said,  was  a  picture  of  a  playmate — I  can  trace  a  resemblance  in  the  face  ;  B,  Satan  ;  C, 
well  trapped  wash-stand  ;  D,  dominoes,  which  he  frequently  drew  and  cut  out  for  use  in  play. 


FIFTH    YEAR 

think  I  can  tell  you  some  of  the  sentences  he  said. 
Maybe  you  will  know  what  they  mean.  He  began  by  say- 
ing "  Mamma !"  with  a  shriek — so  he  could  be  heard,  no 
doubt,  as  the  noise  of  the  trains  and  other  things  was 
terrible  —  "Mamma,  will  we  go  up  in  the  elevated? 
Have  you  the  lady-bug  ?  Isn't  it  a  dear  little  thing  ?" 
(I  understood  that.)  "  Oh,  mamma,  here's  Fifty-eighth 
Street;  will  we  go  to  see  the  animals?"  (That  made  me 
shudder,  for  I  knew  what  some  animals  do  who  like  to 
eat  insects.)  "  Oh,  mamma,  there's  the  swan-boat ;  can't 
we  take  a  ride  ?  Let  me  pay.  I  have  money.  Can't 
we,  mamma?"  (I  wonder  what  a  swan -boat  is.)  I 
heard  the  mother  say,  "  Yes,  dear,"  and  pretty  soon  I 
felt  that  we  were  gliding  along  as  gently  as  I  have 
often  sailed  on  a  leaf  on  a  pond,  and  it  was  really  de- 
lightful. I  imagine  this  was  somewhere  in  the  park 
spoken  of,  which  the  little  boy  (whose  name  seemed  to 
be  Harold)  once  called  Central  Park.  There  must  have 
been  a  baby  sitting  beside  me,  for  I  heard  Harold's 
mother  tell  him  to  look  at  a  kitten  on  the  bank,  and 
the  mother  of  the  baby  said, "  Look  at  the  kitty,  daugh- 
ter," and  Harold  laughed  loud  because  the  baby  looked 
straight  up  to  the  sky.  I  heard  him  say,  laughing  loud, 
"  Kitty  isn't  up  in  the  sky,  mamma."  The  baby's  mam- 
ma laughed  too,  but  Harold's  mamma  said, "  Never  mind, 
baby." 

Pretty  soon  I  heard  somebody  ask  to  be  let  off  at  the 
upper  end  of  the  lake,  as  they  called  it.  (What  is  a 
lake  ?)  Some  one  said,  "If  we  can  make  a  landing." 
Then  we  had  a  good  shaking  up,  and  I  was  a  little  bit 
frightened,  for  I  felt  we  were  getting  out  of  the  boat 
very  cautiously.  I  happen  to  know  what  it  means  to 
be  upset  in  water.  One  day,  when  I  was  sailing  on  the 
M  177 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

pond,  the  wind  turned  over  the  leaf  I  was  on,  and  I 
thought  I  was  going  to  drown.  Fortunately  I  struck 
a  stick  of  wood  in  my  struggles  to  save  myself,  and 
crawled  up  on  top  of  it,  and  stayed  there  until  a  big 
leaf  came  floating  by  near  enough  for  me  to  fly  to  it, 
which  I  did  very  quickly.  When  I  reached  the  bank  of 
the  pond  I  made  up  my  mind  to  stay  away  from  the 
water — for  a  while,  at  any  rate,  much  as  I  like  sailing 
on  a  leaf — for  I  now  think  it  is  dangerous. 

Soon  after  we  landed  we  heard  terrible  noises,  and 
Harold  said, "Oh, mamma,  see  the  baby  hippopotamus! 
Isn't  it  a  dear  little  thing  ?"  (I  thought  they  were  Ug— 
I  am  little.)  "  Isn't  it  too  sweet  for  anything  ?  See  its 
feet  and  its  eyes.  Oh,  mamma,  see  its  mother  helping 
it  get  into  the  water !  Isn't  she  a  good  mother  ?"  and  so 
he  went  on.  He  was  talking  all  the  time.  I  couldn't 
understand  what  he  meant  half  of  the  time,  and  I  wished 
so  much  I  could  see  it  all.  Once  he  said, "  Oh,  mamma, 
-$ee  the  baby  tiger  winking  to  me !  Isn't  he  beautiful  ?" 
(I  wonder  what  winking  means.) 

I  heard  him  talk  of  polar-bears,  grizzly-bears,  prairie- 
dogs,  and  hyenas,  camels,  and  dromedaries,  and  I  really 
can't  remember  what  all.  I  remember  he  said,  "  Mam- 
ma, don't  you  think  the  camel  is  beautiful  ?  I  do.  See 
the  way  he  moves."  He  seemed  to  pity  the  animals 
that  were  in  cages.  He  couldn't  understand  why  they 
had  to  be  brought  away  from  their  homes  just  to  let 
people  know  what  they  look  like.  I  heard  his  mamma 
say  that  she  didn't  believe  God  meant  it  to  be  so,  and 
I  believe  she  is  right.  I  felt  sure  she  would  be  good  to 
me  and  feed  me  after  hearing  that. 

When  we  came  here  she  let  me  out  very  carefully, 
and  I  have  had  a  lovely  time  for  several  days,  going 

178 


1895   DRAWINGS — FIVE    YEARS    OLD 

A,  policeman  ;   B,  dining  room,  table,  dishes,  and  picture  on  the  wall  ;  C,  inverted  9  in  1895 — 
pictures  of  papa,  mamma,  and  Harold  ;  D,  inside  of  a  house  ;  E,  outside  of  a  house  ;  F,  weather- 


FIFTH    YEAR 

about  the  rooms.  Every  day  she  hunts  me  up  and  gives 
me  something  to  eat  and  drink.  At  first  I  felt  afraid 
she  would  drown  me  with  the  water,  but  she  seemed  to 
know  I  couldn't  take  much,  for  she  poured  a  few  drops 
quite  near  to  me  on  the  window-sill,  and  I  went  close 
and  sipped  all  I  needed.  The  water  looked  like  a  wall, 
almost  as  high  as  I  was,  but  it  didn't  come  tumbling 
over  me  as  I  expected  it  would.  I  wonder  why  ? 

When  I  was  fed  she  put  me  on  a  plate  of  fruit.  I 
heard  her  tell  Harold  it  was  fruit,  and  I  had  the  most 
delicious  dinner.  I  found  it  inside  of  a  grape-skin.  I 
knew  it  was  that,  for  I  heard  her  say  to  Harold, "  You 
should  have  seen  the  dear  little  lady-bug  eating  her 
dinner." 

He  said,  "  Where  did  she  get  it?" 

She  said,  "  I  put  her  on  a  plate  of  fruit,  and  I  found 
her  eating  inside  of  a  skin  of  a  grape  that  I  put  there 
for  her." 

A  little  girl  was  here  the  other  day  who  must  have 
been  very  wicked,  for  she  said  she  would  kill  me.  Harold 
took  me  up  gently  and  ran  away  down-stairs  to  his 
mamma  and  told  her  all  about  it.  She  took  me  from 
him  carefully  and  told  the  little  girl  how  wicked  it  was 
to  hurt  any  living  thing.  The  little  girl  seemed  to  be 
sorry,  and  said  she  didn't  mean  it,  but  I  hope  she  will 
never  come  here  any  more.  It  isn't  nice  to  have  per- 
sons like  that  about  one.  It  makes  one  frightened. 

Harold  seems  to  like  to  watch  me  when  I  clean  my 
feet  and  wings  every  morning.  To-day  I  showed  him 
how  I  reached  up  on  my  back  with  my  foot  and  rubbed 
off  any  specks  of  dust  that  might  happen  to  be  there. 
I  also  cleaned  my  head  with  what  he  calls  the  forks  on 
the  ends  of  my  front  feet.  He  likes  to  watch  me  get 

179 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

ready  to  fly,  too,  which  I  do  sometimes  just  to  please 
him  and  to  keep  in  practice.  I  push  my  hind  wings  far 
out  at  the  back  of  my  body,  and  he  says  they  look  like 
a  little  pointed  tail  before  they  are  spread ;  then  I 
spread  them  at  the  same  time  that  I  spread  the  front 
ones  that  make  my  shell -cover,  and  away  I  go.  I 
hear  him  say  every  time,  "  Oh,  see,  mamma !  Isn't  that 
pretty?  Isn't  she  sweet?"  He  often  speaks  of  the 
beautiful  black  spots  that  I  have  on  the  back  of  my 
shell  wings.  He  says,  "  Two  on  each  side,  and  one  where 
the  split  is."  (I  wonder  what  he  means  by  "  split.") 

To-morrow  I  am  going  to  fly  up  on  the  window  and 
see  the  sunshine  that  I  love  so  much.  Yesterday  I 
saw  the  window  was  open,  and  I  might  have  flown 
away,  but  I  didn't  want  to  do  it.  There  is  so  much 
to  see  and  learn  here  that  I  like  to  stay.  Maybe  to- 
morrow I  will  go  and  ask  Mrs.  Gold-bug  what  all  the 
voices  talking  about  silver  and  gold  mean.  She  ought 
to  know. 


1895   CUTTINGS — FIVE    YEARS   OLD 

A,  bottle  in  two  parts  ;  B.  violin  case — colored  green  in  the  original  ;  C,  c,  two  sides  of  bell — 
gilded  in  original  ;  D.  d,  parts  of  an  engine — cut  work  to  fold  and  place. 


CHAPTER  VII 

SEVENTH  YEAR  — LEARNING  GERMAN,  WRITING,  AND 
SPELLING  THROUGH  PLAY  — A  BEDTIME  QUESTION 
TALK  — COMPARISON  QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  — 
THE  CHILD'S  SONG  TO  HIS  COLORS  — TWO  STORIES 
TOLD  BY  THE  CHILD 

JULY  29,  1896. — His  prayer :  "  Dear  God,  I  want  you 
to  keep  the  good  good,  and  make  the  bad  good,  and  I 
thank  you  very  much  for  bringing  papa  back  safely, 
and  I  want  you  to  take  care  of  me  in  the  night-time, 
and  I  thank  you  .very  much  for  letting  me  pass  all  the 
day  so  happily." 

He  was  taught  the  Lord's  Prayer  by  rote,  in  order  that 
he  might  not  feel  chagrined  if  he  ever  had  occasion  to 
join  others  in  saying  it  in  kindergarten  schools.  The 
third  time  of  repetition  he  had  to  be  helped  once  only 
by  supplying  "on  earth."  He  insisted  on  having  each 
phrase  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  explained  to  him. 

August  1st. — To-day  Harold  said,  as  is  usual  under 
similar  circumstances, "  The  step  made  me  go  up."  He  in- 
tended going  around  the  side  of  the  house  with  a  play- 
mate, but  from  habit  he  stepped  up  on  the  front  porch  as 
he  passed  it.  He  instantly  stepped  down  again  and  went 
with  her,  but  she  teased  him  about  it,  and  he  replied 
in  a  usual  fashion  that  "  it  made  him  do  it."  I  never 
understood  this  remark  before,  but  now  I  see  clearly 
what  he  meant  when  he  said,  as  he  often  did,  that  some- 

181 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

thing  made  him  do  thus  or  so — he  means  his  usual  habit 
leads  him  one  way  when  he  wills  another  way. 

August  Tth. — To-day  he  came  in  fretting  about  hav- 
ing no  one  with  whom  to  play.  It  was  intensely 
warm.  I  had  been  reading  about  the  Herald  Ice  Fund, 
and  I  read  to  him  about  the  sick  babies  in  the  slums, 
and  said  he  should  be  happy  by  contrast  with  his  happy 
home.  I  inadvertently  roused  a  great  storm  of  sym- 
pathy. He  cried  bitterly,  ran  crying  audibly  to  the 
other  end  of  the  house,  to  the  nursery,  and  back  again, 
when  he  handed  me  a  penny,  saying,  between  his  sobs, 
"  Send  it  to  the  babies."  It  was  half  of  all  he  had  at  the 
time.  I  tried  to  pacify  him,  and  told  him  of  all  the 
good  people  who  helped  take  care  of  the  poor  children ; 
but  he  cried  for  a  long  time,  and  wondered  pitifully 
why  God  let  them  suffer. 

He  said  to  William,  a  playmate,  "You  know  God, 
who  lives  up  in  heaven  ;  well — part  of  him  is  a  spirit, 
called  the  Holy  Ghost.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  a  spirit 
that  isn't  a  ghost." 

September  9th. — He  said  to  me  just  now,  "  Plated 
silver  is  nickel  washed  in  melted  silver,  isn't  it  ?" 

September  llth.  —  Harold  asked  me  to-day  what 
"  absorb  "  meant,  and  how  frogs  absorbed  moisture.  I 
had  just  been  telling  him  that  frogs  came  out  on  rainy 
days  for  a  drink,  when  they  would  absorb  the  rain 
through  little  holes  in  their  bodies.  He  listened  intent- 
ly to  my  explanation,  then  said,  as  he  was  eating  some 
bread  and  milk,  "  See,  my  bread  absorbs  the  milk." 

September  16th. — When  going  to  New  York  to-day 
he  said,  as  he  stood  in  the  aisle,  "  Mamma,  the  faster  the 
train  goes  the  easier  it  is  to  stand ;  it  goes  over  the 
bumps  quicker."  Then,  pointing  to  the  sign  "  Drinking- 

182 


1896   DRAWINGS 

A— When  telling  me  what  this  was,  he  said,  "I  don't  like  to  say  that  out  loud  —  when  I  drew  it, 
I  used  to  read  fairy  stories —  it  was  drawn  for  a  ghost  ";  B,  b,  pages  of  music-book  ;  C,  horse-rar — 
when  drawing  it,  he  asked  me  whether  it  wasn't  the  best  horse  he  had  ever  drawn  ;  D,  "a  deaf  man 
who  is  lame — lie  is  supposed  to  be  listening  through  ear-trumpets  to  a  and  b,  and  he  is  standing  on 
c,  which  helps  him  move  about  by  machinery  inside." 


SEVENTH    YEAR 

water,"  he  said,  "Don't  they  know  it's  drinking-water?" 
She  said,  "  Yes."  Then  he  said,  "  Why  do  they  put  the 
sign  up?" 

His  questions  to-day  were  chiefly  about  words.  He 
came  to  me  at  different  times  with  the  following,  asking 
what  each  meant:  "saliva,"  "materials,"  "natural  his- 
tory," "  boast,"  and  "  indestructible."  He  cannot  under- 
stand why  some  of  his  toy-books  are  called  "  indestruc- 
tible "  when  they  can  be  destroyed.  He  often  asks  me 
about  it. 

October  2d. — He  said  to-night,  when  in  bed,  "  I  put 
my  hands  over  my  eyes,  and  I  see  the  loveliest  colors ; 
and  I  say,  colors,  please  come  back  until  I  go  to  sleep." 
Then  he  began  to  sing : 

"Dear  colors,  please  come  back, 
Until  I  go  to  sleep. 
I  will  never  see  you  again, 
Until  I  eat  a  big  ben. 

"Dear  colors,  please  come  back, 
I'll  never  disturb  you  again, 
Until  day  dawn  briogs  the  light. 

"You  darling  little  colors  gay, 
Make  the  prettiest  ones  you  ever  had." 

Then  he  fell  asleep. 

The  following  is  a  song  of  Harold's  when  falling  asleep 
after  a  day  of  mental  pressure  in  a  primary  school — 
before  he  was  seven — where  he  was  placed  against  his 
mother's  better  judgment,  but  in  deference  to  the  opinion 
of  an  educational  authority,  who  saw  and  acknowledged 
the  error  after  two  days'  experience  with  the  child. 
At  the  end  of  each  day  he  seemed  intoxicated  with  the 
charm  of  learning,  and  was  very  much  excited  —  too 
much  so  to  fall  asleep  until  several  hours  after  his  usual 

183 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

bedtime.  The  second  night  he  began  singing  to  himself 
about  his  colors,  as  he  calls  them,  as  follows,  singing 
every  word  in  a  very  pretty  manner : 

"Red,  orange,  yellow,  green,  blue,  and  purple;" 
then,  in  a  very  unconscious,  sleepy  way : 

"  Oh,  you  darling  little  colors,  come  back,  come  back, 
Until  I  go  asleep, 
And  make  another  picture. 
Tra-la,  la-la,  la-la. 

"Come  red,  come  orange,  come  yellow,  come  green, 
Come  blue,  and  purple ; 
Oh,  make  another  diamond  of  purple  and  of  blue. 

"Oh,  colors,  come  from  your  little  coaches, 
You  darling  little  colors  !    I  am  sorry  to  say, 
You  get  in  your  cabs  and  drive  right  home. 
I  hope  you  will  have  happy  days. 
Good-bye,  good-bye,  my  colors  dear,  dear,  dear,  dear." 

Between  the  last  two  stanzas  he  sang  : 

"Tra-la,  la-la,  la-la, 
My  pussy-cat  lies  down  by  me. 
Oh,  you  dear  pussy-cat,  I  like  your  hat! 
Tra-la,  la-la,  la-la." 

Then  he  fell  asleep  instantly. 
Another  night,  apropos  of  the  color  song,  he  said : 
"  Black  turns  to  navy-blue ;  then  there  came  red  and 
light-blue  and  pink,  and  now  it  is  so  many  I  can't  tell 
you  all,  but  it  is  beautiful ;  now  it  is  red  and  green,  a 
red  spot  with  green  about  it ;  now  it  is  green  with  red 
dots  in  it  running  through  the  black ;  then  black ;  now 
it  is  white  and  brown,  gray  and  white,  black  with  white 
dots ;  now  it's  green,with  blue  in  it ;  now  all  green."  Then 
he  slept,  but  first  he  said,  after  ceasing  his  remarks 

184 


1896   DRAWINGS — SIX  YEARS   OLD 

A,  filterrng-machine  ;  a,  pump  ;  b,  one  of  series  of  filters  ;  c,  screws  to  open  or  shut  off  water; 
d,  water-tank  to  heat  and  Pasteurize  water  by  lamp  e,  below  ;  f,  faucet  to  tap  water  ;  B.  parts  of 
engine  ;  a,  sliding  of  the  cylinder  ;-  b,  steam  drum  ;  c:  safety-valve  ;  C— a,  door  ;  b,  hinges  ;  c, 
screws;  d,  lock  ;  e,  key  ;  D,  reversing  lever  on  train  ;  a,  "engine  goes  forward";  b,  "engine 
stops";  c,  "engine  goes  backward  when  this  way";  E,  plan  for  theatre  stage  ;  F,  parts  for  the 
theatre— hose  playing  on  house  on  fire. 


SEVENTH    YEAR 

about  the  colors,  "Oh,  isn't  it  funny?  I  saw  lots  of  bub- 
bles when  I  opened  my  eyes,  and  I  couldn't  see  you 
through  them." 

One  of  his  rhymes  at  this  time  was,  "  She  gathers  the 
trees  as  if  they  were  bees,  and  takes  her  ease  so  good, 
so  good."  Another  rhyme  I  heard  the  other  day 
was,  "  Put  the  magical  corn  on  your  head,  and  that  will 
make  you  dead." 

One  night,  when  singing  to  himself  "Dies'  ist  die  Mut- 
ter lieb  und  gut"  he  sang  it  in  German  first,  then  in  Eng- 
lish ;  then  he  tried  to  say  the  words  without  the  music, 
and  succeeded  with  the  German,  but  when  he  reached 
the  third  line  of  the  English  words  he  had  to  sing  it  to 
get  it ;  then  he  repeated  it  again  and  again  until  he  felt 
sure  of  it.  In  this  way  he  goes  over  his  day's  acquire- 
ments while  falling  asleep — sings,  talks,  and  counts  to 
himself — and  occasionally  tries  to  get  me  to  answer  a 
question.  Not  many  days  ago,  when  I  supposed  he  was 
asleep,  we  heard  him  call  out,  "  How  much  is  twice 
thirty-four  ?"  I  told  him.  He  repeated  my  answer,  and 
soon  fell  asleep.  I  never  knew  what  led  up  to  the  ques- 
tion, but  he  often  asks  disconnected  questions  like  the 
above,  after  a  period  of  quiet,  during  which  his  brain  is 
apparently  at  work  over  something  that  puzzles  him. 
He  has  taken  a  fancy  lately  to  have  me  spell  words  that 
are  new  to  him,  without  pronouncing  them,  in  order 
that  he  may  guess  at  them  by  the  sound  of  the  let- 
ters. 

One  day  I  gave  him  "  s-h-o-e,"  and  told  him  oe  was  pro- 
nounced like  oo  in  too,  and  to  put  the  sound  sh  in  front. 
He  tried  it  several  times  before  he  got  the  word  right, 
and  was  then  very  much  pleased  to  find  he  could  spell 
shoe.  We  then  tried  "p-1-e-a-s-e"  in  the  same  way,  which 

185 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

at  first  he  got  as  "  place."  In  this  way  he  is  learning 
how  to  spell  many  words  while  he  plays,  and  he  now 
reads  a  number  of  short  easy  sentences.  He  has  a 
fashion  now  of  spelling  all  the  words  he  knows  how  to 
spell  when  telling  us  something — as,  for  instance,  "M-a-m- 
m-a,  come  t-o  d-i-n-n-e-r."  Then  she  spells  "come" 
for  him,  and  he  has  one  word  more.  Sometimes  I  take 
up  a  word  like  "grew,"  for  instance,  give  him  the 
sounds,  and  ask  him  for  the  word.  He  first  called 
grew  "  ga-rew,"  then  tried  it  faster,  and  eventually  was 
delighted  to  find  it  was  a  word  of  which  he  knew  the 
meaning.  This  knowledge  he  gains  very  easily  with 
play  that  he  enjoys. 

Once  he  asked  me  what  "  a-p-e-n  "  spelled.  I  said  it 
was  no  word;  then  he  tried  again,  and  said  "a-p-r-n." 
I  said  again  it  was  no  word,  although  I  knew  what  he 
was  trying  to  spell.  Then  he  said,  impatiently,  "  Well, 
how  do  you  spell  apron  ?"  Then  I  told  him. 

He  will  take  a  word  like  "  old,"  or  any  simple  word  he 
knows,  and,  beginning  with  the  first  letter  of  the  alpha- 
bet, he  will  spell  to  himself  and  try  to  pronounce  each 
combination,  thus :  a-o-l-d,  J-o-l-d,  c-o-l-d,  <#-o-l-d,  e-o-l-d, 
y-o-l-d,  etc.,  all  the  way  through  to  z.  He  tells  me  this 
is  how  he  is  learning  all  by  himself  how  to  spell  new 
words.  He  often  does  this  before  falling  asleep,  and 
often  asks  me  some  such  question  as  whether  "  e-o-l-d  " 
makes  a  word,  not  recognizing  it  as  such  from  the  sounds 
of  the  letters. 

October  4th. — "Mamma,  you  wouldn't  say  a  Ecke— 
but,  das  ist  ein  Ecke"  I  heard  him  saying  to  himself  to- 
day, "  boa-constrictor,"  then  "  hug,"  and  "  bones,"  as  if  he 
were  puzzling  about  them.  He  is  always  inquiring  about 
words,  why  they  are  called  thus  and  so.  He  asked 

186 


1896    DRAWINGS — SIX    TEARS    OLD 

A,  "an  engine  facing  you  on  the  track,"  with  the  child's  explanations  ;   B,  a  key-stone. 


SEVENTH    YEAR 

to-day,  "What  does  hemisphere  mean  —  half  round?" 
The  circle  of  his  engine  track  suggested  it.  He  set 
the  track  upon  the  edge  of  two  chairs  to  make  an 
elevated  railroad,  after  having  run  it  contentedly  on 
the  table  for  a  long  time.  He  is  fertile  in  invention 
and  adaptation.  To-day  he  repeated  the  entire  story 
of  "The  Old  Woman  and  her  Crooked  Sixpence" 
without  a  pause,  and  when  he  reached  the  part 
where,  after  the  cat  had  "drinken"  the  milk  (as  he 
said),  "  the  cat  began  to  kill  the  rat,  the  rat  began  to 
gnaw  the  rope,"  etc.,  etc.,  he  grew  breathless  and  ex- 
cited and  could  hardly  say  it  fast  enough,  it  seemed. 
He  called  the  pig  a  "  piggie  wiggie,"  and  omitted  the 
word*"  yonder,"  explaining  that  he  feared  the  little  chil- 
dren wouldn't  understand  what  it  meant.  He  always 
has  so  much  trouble  himself  to  find  stories  that  he  can 
understand  from  beginning  to  end  that  he  sympathizes 
with  others  in  this  respect.  He  has  had  no  phonic 
lessons,  but  has  had  his  attention  directed  to  sounds  of 
letters.  Many  words  that  are  new  to  him  he  pronounces 
correctly  from  the  sound  of  the  letters.  I  tried  him  with 
"s-o-o-n,"  but  it  took  him  some  time  to  get  it;  first  he 
said  "  sss-oo-en,"  then  he  tried  it  quickly,  and  recognized 
the  word.  He  sometimes  reads  whole  sentences  of  new 
words  by  spelling  them  and  following  the  sounds,  fre- 
quently asking  me  the  meaning  of  the  word  he  may  be 
pronouncing  correctly. 

In  the  Andrew  Lang  Fairy  Readers,  where  the  words 
are  divided  in  syllables  all  through  the  reading-matter, 
he  has  very  little  difficult}7"  with  words  even  of  three  and 
four  syllables. 

To-day  he  spelled  saliva  from  sound,  asked  its  meaning 
first,  then  said  of  some  water  which  he  had  just  used  to 

187 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

brush  his  teeth,  "  This   water  has  saliva  in  it,  I  will 
throw  it  away." 

He  asked  me  how  to  spell  "Willie"  -pronouncing 
it  "Will-lee."  When  I  said  " TF-a-Z-1-i-e,"  he  seemed 
cross,  and  said  "  I  mean  Will-lee"  then  he  said, "  W-i-1-1 
spells  Will,  now  spell  ee ;"  so  I  said  "  ie,"  and  he  was  sat- 
isfied. 

He  then  said,  "  P-a-p  spells  papee."  I  said  "  No."  He 
said,  "  I  thought  it  spelled  pa  for  pa,  and  the  last  p  was 
said  pee,  so  it  would  make  papee."  He  couldn't  under- 
stand why  it  should  spell  pap  at  first.  Then  he  said, 
"  How  do  boys  spell  poppy,  when  they  say  it  instead  of 
papa  ?" 

October  5th. — I  found  out  yesterday  about  his  so- 
called  April-fool  letter  to  me  —  sent  a  short  time  ago 
.by  mail.  He  really  gave  it  to  the  postman  on  Satur- 
day to  have  it  delivered  on  Monday,  and  didn't  tell  me 
for  two  days.  It  came  in  the  usual  mail,  and  he  enjoyed 
my  surprise  immensely.  He  addressed  me  as  "Dear 

Mrs.  H ,  will  you  please  send  me  a  copy  of  your 

book  at  once  ?"  and  signed  it  "  Yours  truly,  DLOKAH." 
(Here  he  used  his  own  name  reversed,  which  puzzled  me.) 

He  is  learning  German  in  play.  This  evening,  after 
his  first  lesson  (given  yesterday),  he  gave  me  a  lesson  in 
play.  I  encouraged  it,  to  find  out  what  he  remembered, 
with  the  following  result :  He  told  me  that  "  No  "  was 
Nein;  "Yes"  Yah;  "Boy"  Knale  ;  "Girl"  Madchen; 
"Brea.d"J3rod;"A."JB:w;  "I"  Ich;  "With"Jf#;  and 
counted  in  German  up  to  fifteen. 

October  8th. — To-day  he  asked,  "  What  is  meant  to 
die  a  painful  death  ?"  I  said,  "  A  wagon  running  over 
and  killing  you  would  be  a  painful  death."  He  then 
said,  "  And  if  they  dagged  a  sword  in  you  ?" 

188 


1896   DRAWINGS— SIX   YEARS   OLD 

A.  parts  for  a  Brownie  ;  B,  parts  of  the  moon,  as  it  grows  ;  C,  effort  at  perspective  ;  D,  copy 
of  the  block  engine  he  often  built  ;  E — a,  cat  from  model  ;  b,  "This,"  he  said,  "  is  how  I  used 
to  draw  a  pussy '';  F,  f,  comparison  drawings — F,  Harold's  ;  f,  copy  by  a  playmate  a  year  younger 
than  Harold  ;  G,  a  gate  ;  H,  two  sides  to  a  walch. 


SEVENTH    YEAR 


He  said  to  me  to-day,  when  I  told  him  that  after 
being  dressed  he  might  play  in  the  room  in  which  I  was 
trying  to  sleep,  "  You  tell  God  to  keep  me  out  of  temp- 
tation "  (alluding  to  the  Lord's  Prayer),  "  but  if  you 
dress  me  and  let  me  play  in  there  while  you  want  to 
sleep,  it  will  tempt  me  to  talk  to  you." 

October  llth. — When  reading  to  Harold  to-day  he  in- 
sisted on  having  the  book  about  "  bones,  muscles,  and 
blood."  I  explained  to  him  with  a  long  tube  how  water 
seeks  its  level,  and  he  busied  himself  for  a  long  time 
with  the  tube  and  his  pump  (one  that  works  satisfac- 
torily). He  is  very  quick  at  contrivances,  self-reliant, 
and  self-helpful.  He  rarely  allows  or  asks  us  to  do  any- 
thing for  him  that  he  can  do  for  himself. 

On  our  way  to  the  park  this  afternoon  he  said,  "  What 
does  b-u-r-n-s  spell?"  He  had  caught  but  a  glimpse  of 
the  word  as  we  went  by  on  the  elevated  train.  This 
suggests  Catharine  Aiken's  experiments  in  "  glance- 
work." 

He  said,  a  short  time  ago,  "  What  does  s,  f,  t,  p,  o,  c,  t,  a 
mean?"  I  asked  him  where  he  had  heard  it.  He  re- 
plied, "  Maud  sings  it ;  she  says,  <  If  they  won't  feed  the 
horse  good  food  the  s,  f ,  t,  p,  o,  c,  t,  a  will  get  after  them.' " 
I  told  him  then  about  the  Society  for  the  Prevention 
of  Cruelty  to  Animals.  He  is  very  much  interested  in 
the  docking  of  horses'  tails.  He  says  he  will  try  to  help 
prevent  it,  because  it  is  cruel.  He  explained  to  me  about 
using  a  red-hot  iron  wire  to  do  it.  I  do  not  know  where 
he  could  have  heard  of  this.  Some  playmate  no  doubt 
has  told  him. 

He  is  now  playing  that  he  has  a  restaurant;  he  wrote 
to  his  father  that  he  was  happy  because  he  had  one  (see 
illustration  facing  p.  208.)  He  brought  to  a  chance  vis- 

189 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

itor,  on  a  tin-box  lid  for  a  tray,  a  little  bucket  from  his 
pump,  filled  with  water  for  a  drink,  making  believe  the 
bucket  was  a  glass  ;  a  piece  of  bread,  and  a  round  piece 
of  apple  that  was  very  thin  and  had  skin  on  one  side ; 
it  was  the  shape  and  size  of  a  dollar.  We  were  puzzled 
as  to  how  he  cut  it  in  that  shape,  and  asked  him  about 
it.  He  then  showed  us  what  he  called  his  knife.  It 
was  a  circular  piece  of  tin,  sharp  on  the  edge,  that 
had  covered  a  bottle,  and  by  turning  it  a  certain  way 
he  cut  a  perfect  circle  of  apple,  which  gave  him  great 
delight. 

October  12th. — He  said  to-day,  "  How  would  it  feel  if 
I  had  eyes  in  the  back  of  my  head?"  I  replied,  "I 
don't  know."  Then  he  said,  "  Well,  suppose  I  cut  a 
rat  in  two  pieces,  and  then  cut  one  of  the  pieces  in  two, 
would  that  piece  feel  it  ?"  I  said  "  No."  He  wondered 
why.  I  said  because  it  was  separated  from  the  head. 
Then  he  wondered  why  again.  I  said  there  were  nerves 
going  to  the  brain  (his  "think,"  as  he  calls  it)  telling 
when  anything  hurt.  I  told  him  also  about  the  sensi- 
tiveness of  the  finger-tips.  He  experimented,  then  said, 
"Are  there  nerves  in  the  nails,  too?"  I  was  not  quite 
sure,  but  I  said  "  Yes."  He  looked  at  them,  then  said, 
"  How  can  one  see  through  the  nails  and  not  see  any 
nerves  ?"  I  was  forced  to  divert  him  then,  and  I  must 
study  up  physiology. 

When  walking  along  the  street  some  days  later  he 
said  to  me,  "  I  suppose  if  we  had  no  nerves,  and  we 
shut  our  eyes,  we  wouldn't  know  we  are  walking." 

October  17th. — He  evidently  puzzles  about  two,  too, 
and  to.  I  just  heard  him  saying  to  himself,  as  he  is 
lying  in  bed  trying  to  fall  asleep,  "  I  am  going  at  two 
o'clock.  Are  you  going  to  town ?  Yes,  I  am  going,  too" 

190 


3  7 '/  7  £, 70"7  7  75  7,Q  51?  #  /  ^2  23 


HOW    MANY    PENNIES    HE    NEEDED   TO    MAKE    A   DOLLAR 


n  I J7 


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A    GUNBOAT 


HORSE   AND   WAGON 


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n 


SPONTANEOUS    WRITING   FROM   MEMORY 
1896   DRAWINGS 


SEVENTH    YEAR 

accenting  each  one.  Then  he  said,  "  One,  t-w-o  "  (spell- 
ing the  words),  "  one  t-o-o,  and  one  t-o,"  turned  over,  and 
began  whistling  a  tune  he  heard  a  band  play  to-day. 
Afterwards  he  asked  me  what  a  hard  g  and  soft  g  meant. 
I  explained ;  then  he  asked  for  a  hard  #,  5,  c,  and  I 
explained  that  not  all  letters  had  hard  sounds  and  soft 
sounds ;  then  I  said  "  cake  "  and  "  cent "  for  him,  to  show 
the  difference  in  the  ds.  He  said,  "  How  about  knife  ? 
I  should  think  n  stood  for  knife."  I  said,  "  No,  it  is  &, 
but  it  is  a  silent  letter."  He  was  satisfied  with  this, 
and  asked  next,  "What  is  whiney  or  fretty  —  letting 
your  voice  drop  down  like  this  ?"  giving  an  illustration 
of  it.  Then  he  fell  asleep. 

To-day  he  said,  "Isn't  twice  twenty,  forty?"  I  re- 
plied, "Yes.  How  much  is  twice  nineteen?"  He  said, 
"I  don't  know  unless  I  go  straight  up."  I  asked, 
"  How  do  you  do  it  ?"  He  replied,  "Why,  twice  twelve 
is  twenty-four,  twice  thirteen  is  twenty-six,  twice  four- 
teen is  twenty-eight,"  and  he  went  on  until  he  reached 
twice  nineteen  is  thirty -eight,  evidently  having  found 
out  that  the  two-table  up  to  twelve  was  made  by  add- 
ing two  each  time ;  so  he  experimented  up  to  forty, 
and  asked  me  as  above.  This  is  the  way  he  has  ex- 
perimented, and  found  out  much  that  he  knows  about 
numbers. 

The  notes  opposite  p.  192  show  how  he  tried  to  learn 
to  write.  A  vertical-writing  chart  was  placed  above  his 
little  table,  and  we  saw  that  paper  and  pencils  and  his 
chair  were  always  ready  for  him,  should  he  want  to  try 
it.  He  wrote  a  letter  to  a  favorite  kindergartner  the  first 
day  he  received  it,  asking  me  how  to  spell  the  words  he 
did  not  know,  but  hunting  out  the  letters  for  himself  by 
repeating  the  alphabet  as  he  looked  for  the  letter  he 

191 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

wanted.  Before  six  weeks  had  passed  he  knew  the 
whole  chart  from  memory,  yet  he  never  received  direct 
teaching  from  it,  nor  did  I  tell  him  to  join  the  letters 
together  when  making  the  words.  He  did  this  from 
the  beginning,  for  the  chart  he  used  was  carefully  pre- 
pared to  meet  this  need.  One  day  I  saw  him  slip  a  cover 
over  some  of  the  letters  on  the  upper  row  of  the  chart, 
by  hanging  an  envelope  by  its  flap  on  the  upper  edge 
of  the  chart.  I  asked  him  why  he  did  it  ?  He  replied, 
"  I  wanted  it  so  I  can  learn  the  letters  without  seeing 
them — so,"  illustrating  by  first  covering  a  and  5  and 
then  writing  the  letters,  and  moving  the  envelope  along 
over  c  and  d,  and  so  on. 

To-day  he  said,  in  my  hearing,"  Vertical- writing  chart." 
I  then  said,  "  You  should  write  a  letter  to  your  papa." 
He  replied, "  You  wouldn't  have  told  me  to,  if  I  had  not 
said,  4  Vertical-writing  chart,'  "  which  was  true.  When 
speaking  of  the  chart,  he  said,  "  Why  do  they  make 
their  letters  so  decorated  ?  They  are  more  decorated  in 
capitals  than  below"  (meaning  the  small  letters).  "You 
see,  they  might  make  the  7  straight  at  the  top — this 
way  :  ~7"  Then  looking  at  7  on  the  chart,  he  said,  "  I 
should  think  it  is  vertical.  I  know  some  people  who 
make  the  7  this  way :  ^^^ .  This  is  the  way  it  should 
be :  7-  Which  way  do  you  think  is  right  ?  Is  this  hori- 
zontal: ^\J?" 

He  heard  some  one  say  purty  for  pretty  to-day ;  he 
came  to  me  and  said,  "  I've  always  heard  of  pretty  soon ; 
never  heard  of  purty  soon." 

October  24th. — I  said  to  him  when  he  heard  his  aunt 
play  Mendelssohn's  u  Rondo  Capriccioso,"  "  Isn't  that 
beautiful  that  your  aunt  is  playing  ?"  He  replied,  "  Yes, 
I  don't  see  how  she  can  play  such  music."  I  said,  "  She 

192 


GRADED    KFFORT    AT   WRITING — COMPOSITION    AND   EARLY    EFFORTS    AT    NUMBERS 


SEVENTH    YEAR 

is  studying  it  all  the  time."  Then  he  replied,  "  I  suppose 
it  isn't  hard  for  her." 

October  25th.— He  said  at  tea,  to-day,  "  I  like  the 
raisins  in  this  cake.  I  don't  like  them  in  most  cakes.  I 

like  them  in  Mrs.  L 's  cakes  too.  I  wonder  why 

these  are  so  good.  Don't  you  suppose,  mamma,  that  the 
grapes  were  properly  dried  to  make  them  so  good? 
Maybe  too  the  baker  used"  (then  he  whispered  and 
spelled)  "  c-1-e-a-n  hands." 

October  28th. — He  saw  the  word  "you"  upsidedown, 
thus — no^.  He  said,  "I  was  puzzled  what  n<x£  meant, 
then  I  saw  it  was  '  you '  upsidedown."  He  has  always 
been  able  to  read  letters  from  any  side  presented.  To- 
night he  could  not  fall  asleep  easily,  because  he  had  too 
much  excitement  just  before  bedtime.  He  said,  "If 
anybody  could  see  the  pretty  things  I  am  seeing — all 
sorts  of  pretty  colors,  green,  red,  purple.  I  close  my 
eyes  and  it  gets  dark — very  dark — and  all  of  a  sudden 
it  cheers  up  and  gets  beautiful  colors.  I  am  going  to 
have  one  in  a  minute,  I  think,"  were  the  last  words  I 
heard.  When  I  looked  again  he  was  asleep. 

I  asked  him  this  week  to  tell  me  a  German  sentence, 
if  he  had  learned  any.  He  promptly  said,  "  Zwei  augen 
hob  eich" 

When  he  sings, "  Good-morning,  Merry  Sunshine,"  the 
kindergarten  song  which  he  learned  after  hearing  it 
twice,  he  always  prefaces  the  last  verse  with  the  words, 
"  This  is  what  the  sunshine  says  now,  mamma,  that  I 
am  going  to  tell  you." 

As  we  neared  Hanover  Square,  on  the  Third  Avenue 
Elevated,  after  an  absence  of  a  year,  he  turned  at  a  cer- 
tain place  and  said,  "  Let  me  see — this  is  the  place  we 
saw  the  cannons,"  and  he  showed  one  to  me.  He  then 
N  193 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

amused  himself  all  the  way  to  Thirty  -  fourth  Street 
with  making  and  pulling  a  slip-knot  —  with  a  string 
he  found  on  the  floor  —  saying  at  last,  "This  is 
the  way  to  hang  a  man,"  putting  my  purse  in  the 
loop.  Some  one  must  have  indiscreetly  told  him 
about  it. 

October  29th. — A  "  question  talk"  to-day  with  pussy. 
"  Did  there  be,  a  long  time  ago,  an  idol — an  ugly  thing 
made  of  stone — that  little  boys  prayed  to — do  they  ?" 
He  said  this  as  if  he  thought  it  couldn't  be  so.  He  then 
told  me  he  heard  it  in  a  Sunday-school  he  visited  once. 
He  then  began  talking  about  the  matter  to  his  stuffed 
kitty.  Saying,  "  You  wouldn't  pray  to  idols,  would 
you  ?"  Then  he  turned  to  me  and  said,  "  Did  you  hear 
what  pussy  said?"  1  said,  "No."  He  replied,  "Why, 
she  said, '  No,  I  wouldn't  do  it  for  the  world.' '  Then  he 
went  on,  "  You  precious  little  pussy,  you  precious  pussy 
darling,  you're  the  sweetest  little  pussy  in  the  world ; 
no,  you're  not  little,  you're  big — only  not  so  big  as  me. 
I  wish  you'd  grow — don't  you?"  Then  he  changed  his 
v6ice  to  represent  kitty  speaking,  and  said,  "Yes,  I 
does,  I  does,  I  does,"  turning  to  me  at  the  same  time 
and  saying,  "  Do  you  hear  her  ?"  "  You  wouldn't  pray  to 
idols,  would  you,  kitty  ?"  Then  the  changed  voice  came 
again  in  reply,  "No,  I'll  kill  every  one  I  get  near." 
Then  Harold  said  in  a  very  wise  way,  "  But,  pussy,  they 
are  not  alive,  they  are  made  of  stone."  Then  he  turned 
to  his  mother  and  said,  "Mamma,  I  know  what  dragons 
are ;  they  are  idols.  Don't  you  believe  it  ?  Maybe  a  one- 
headed  dragon  is  an  idol  in  Africa — "but  it  couldrft  breathe 
and  spit  fire."  The  above  is  a  fair  sample  of  his  con- 
versations with  pussy  before  he  falls  asleep.  He  is  now 
singing  to  himself : 

194 


SEVENTH    YEAR 

"The  diddy  pawn  lies  on  the  dry  land  there, 
Sitting  there,  sitting  there,  sitting  there. 
He  sits  there  and  eats  a  pear, 
Tra-la-la-la,  tra- la-la-la,  tra-la- la-la." 

November  1st. — I  placed  some  books  on  a  shelf  above 
his  bed,  and  he  asked  me  not  to  put  them  so  near  the 
edge,  for  fear  they  might  fall  on  him  in  the  night-time. 
He  has  always  shown  forethought  and  caution — yet  is 
reckless  in  play. 

November  3d. — He  has  taken  to  German  very  kindly. 
He  has  had,  in  play  with  Friiulein,  a  half-hour  lesson, 
for  three  weeks,  five  days  each  week.  He  comes  to  me 
at  times  to  teach  me  his  lesson.  His  second  lesson  was 
as  follows — he  first  said : 

"Zwei  Augen  hab  eich — two  eyes  have  I." 
Then  he  repeated  from  memory : 

' '  Die  Uhren,  Hebe  Kinder, 
Sie  haben  keine  Ruh' 
Im  Sommer  wie  im  Winter, 
Sie  gehen  immer  zu— 
Tic-toe,  tic-toe,  tic- toe." 

Then  he  said, "  I  don't  know  what  this  means,  but  die 
Uhren  means  the  clock."  Then  I  said,  "  It  means  that 
it  goes  winter  and  summer,"  and  he  replied,  "  Oh  yes, 
it  says  tic-toe,  tic-toe,  and  it  means  that  the  clock  al- 
ways goes — in  winter  and  in  summer." 

Then  he  repeated  from  memory : 

"Dies'  ist  die  Mutter  lieb  und  gut, 
Dies'  ist  der  Vater  mit  frohen  Muth  ; 
Dies'  ist  der  Bruder  lang  und  gross, 
Dies'  ist  die  Schwester  mit  Pilpchen  im  Schoss ; 
Dies'  ist  das  Kindchen,  klein  und  zart, 
Und  dies'  die  Familie  von  guter  Art." 
195 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

Then  he  repeated  it  in  English. 

Another  lesson  was  as  follows : 

"Mamma,  how  do  you  say  soldiers  in  German?" 
She  replied,  "  Soldaten"  He  smiled,  and  said,  "Yes. 
How  did  you  know  it  ?" 

Then  he  counted  to  one  hundred  in  German  correct- 
ly ;  then  said  each  hundred  to  a  thousand,  calling  that 
"  zefin  fiundert "  first,  because  he  didn't  know  the  word 
thousand  in  German.  The  only  question  he  asked  while 
doing  it  was  when  he  reached  twenty -five.  He  then 
asked  if  "finf"  was  five.  At  thirty  he  said  first 
"zehn  und  zwanzig"  then  corrected  himself,  and  said, 
"  dreizig" 

When  singing  to  himself  to-day,  in  spite  of  a  cold,  and 
keeping  time  and  showing  expression,  he  sang  first  the 
song,  "  Good  -  morning,  Merry  Sunshine,"  which  is  a 
favorite ;  then  he  began : 

"Good-morning,  good-morning,  kind  teacher  so  dear, 
How  gladly  we  greet  you,  till  all  doth  appear  ; 
Our  playmates  we  welcome,  each  one  with  delight — " 

(Here  I  asked  him  what  delight  meant.  He  said,  "  With 
happiness — very  glad.")  Then  he  went  on — 

"Our  hearts  are  so  happy,  because  we  do  right." 

(Here  he  turned  to  me  and  said,  "  It  isn't  write,  but  be- 
cause we  do  right — do  the  right  thing.")  Then  he  com- 
pleted the  song — 

"Good-morning,  good-morning,  our  dear  little  school, 
How  happy  we  are  in  obeying  each  rule  ; 
For  love  is  our  motto  in  work  and  in  play, 
So  let  us  be  thankful  for  each  happy  day." 

We  followed  nature  -  work  and  science  stories  with 
fairy  stories  at  six,  instead  of  giving  fairy  stories  first. 

196 


1896   DRAWINGS — SIX   YEARS   OLD 

A,  harp  ;  B,  stationary,  drilling,  and  stone-cracking  engines,  and  a  borse  with  a  steam  engine 
inside  with  a  handle,  a,  to  make  his  legs  work  ;  C,  hirds  on  a  telegraph  wire  ;  D,  "side  and  top 
of  a  war  boat";  E,  "  Mrs.  Fan  crying";  F,  heater;  G,  "This  is  the  way  a  flying  ship  looks, 
mamma";  H,  "a  little  boy  on  his  sled  —  he  is  lost  and  so  far  away  from  his  house  that  you  can 
hardly  see  it";  I,  shell- thrower  —  a,  "here's  the  explosion"  —  b,  "here's  the  end  of  the  shell"; 
J,  electric  fire-engine  — "the  wheels  are  turning  so  fast  that  you  can't  see  them";  K,  cable  car 
on  bridge. 


SEVENTH    YEAR 

I  find  he  has  therefore  no  fear  of  goblins,  because  he 
knows  they  are  myths ;  yet  he  loves  the  make-believe 
part,  and,  for  so  young  a  child,  he  has  developed  great 
power  in  creating  fairy  stories. 

November  6th. — He  said  to-day,  "  Mamma,  what  does 
atmosphere  mean?"  She  said,  "The  air  around  us." 
Then  he  said,  "  Does  the  air  mean  atmosphere,  or  does 
atmosphere  mean  air  ?  I  thought  atmosphere  meant  a 
kind  of  sickness.  Oh,  it's  esterics  (hysterics)  I  meant 
what  I  was  thinking  of,  mamma.  Why  do  they  call  it 
'esterics'?  They  might  call  it  < Can't  stop  it.'"  (He 
had  asked  before  this  for  the  meaning  of  hysterics, 
and  evidently  deduced  his  own  explanation  of  "Can't 
stop  it.") 

I  heard  him  say  to-day  to  a  little  girl  whose  word  he 
doubted,  "  Honest  and  truthly  ?" 

November  10th. — To-day  he  told  me  that  Miss  H 

had  given  them  copy  for  writing  in  the  kindergarten, 
and  it  was  a  little  bit  slanting.  He  said  in  great  surprise, 
"  When  mine  was  done,  I  saw  it  was  vertical"  I  replied, 
"  So  it  should  be."  He  is  being  taught  the  vertical  hand, 
but  he  evidently  tried  to  write  slanting,  after  the  copy, 
and  was  surprised  to  find  he  had  not  done  it. 

November  24th. — To-day  he  asked  his  mother  whether 
the  germs  of  whooping-cough  got  it  themselves  (meaning 
the  cough  by  "  it ").  She  said,  "  No."  He  said,  "  Then 
how  do  they  give  it  to  us  ?" 

We  have  been  reading  a  story  in  which  the  giants  that 
were  killed  were  a  number  of  bad  habits  and  character- 
istics, and  those  who  helped  to  kill  them  were  the  good 
fairies.  The  questions  are  mine,  and  the  answers  his 
— and  his  understanding  of  his  own  nature  is  pretty 

accurate : 

197 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

Bad  temper  ? Half  dead. 

Carelessness  ? Nearly  dead. 

Selfishness  ? Half  dead. 

Laziness  ? Dead. 

Disobedience  ? Dead. 

Lies  ? Dead. 

Untidiness  ? Half  dead. 

Exaggeration  ? Pretty  nearly  dead. 

Fear  ? Half  dead. 

Love  of  praise  ? T^  left  to  kill. 

Boastf uluess  ? Dead. 

Concealment  (which  he  called 

Sneakfulness) ^fa,  to  kill ;  nearly  dead. 

Bitter  words  ? ygfo  to  kill. 

Hate  ? Quite  dead. 

Auger  ? TV  to  kill. 

Cruelty  ? Dead. 

I  can't  ? ruinnnnro <on  to  kil1- 

Delay  not  ? Pretty  nearly  dead ;  half 

to  be  killed. 

Bashfulness  ? Nearly  dead. 

Proudfulness  (his  own  term)  ?  Dead. 

He  said,  from  memory,  that  the  fairies  to  help  you 
kill  the  giants  were  lovefulness,  courage,  self-control, 
obedience,  honesty,  patience,  good -temper,  kindness, 
diligence,  courtesy,  gratitude,  and  perseverance,  which 
he  said  meant  "  Try,  try  again." 

November  28th. — Harold's  prayer.  After  saying  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  he  added,  as  usual  his  voluntary  prayer, 
this  time  saying,  "God  bless  me,  all  the  animals,  in- 
sects, birds,  and  everything.  Bless  me,  and  make  me 
a  good  boy.  Good-night.  J7i-men."  Then  he  got  up, 
and  as  I  began  brushing  his  hair  he  suddenly  dropped 
on  his  knees,  and  said,  "  Dear  God :  I'm  going  to  bed 
now.  Excuse  me  a  minute  until  I  see  what  time  it  is." 
Then  he  turned  his  head,  looked  at  a  clock  in  the 

198 


SEVENTH    YEAR 

hall,  put  down  his  head  again,  and  said,  "It's  just  ten 
minutes  past  eight,  and  I  think  I'd  better  go  to  sleep 
now.  So  good- nigh t,  dear  God.  .AA-men."  As  he 
started  for  his  bed  I  said,  "  Wait,  let  me  brush  your 
hair."  He  replied, "  But  I  told  God  I  would  go  to  sleep 
right  away."  So  I  said, "  Well,  run  along  then,"  and  he 
was  asleep  before  I  could  write  this  down.  It  is  curious 
to  note  that  he  has  said  "  aA-men  "  ever  since  he  heard  it 
the  first  time  when  visiting  a  kindergarten,  although  he 
originally  heard  it  pronounced  amen.  It  must  be  from 
choice,  for  he  still  says  "  forgive  us  our  trespasses  as  we 
forgive  those  who  trespass  against  us,"  although  he  heard 
during  the  same  visit, "  forgive  us  our  debts  as  we  forgive 
our  debtors,"  and  told  me  of  it,  asking  me  which  Hiked  best. 

I  just  discovered  that  he  has  for  some  time  thought 
the  words  "  Jesus,  Saviour,  Son  of  God,"  in  a  little  prayer 
he  says,  meant "  Jesus,  save  your  Son  of  God."  He  said, 
"  Oh,  it  was  the  Son  of  God's  Jesus,  Saviour."  First  he 
asked  what  it  meant,  and  that  was  how  I  discovered 
his  error, 

November  29th. — When  going  up  the  Sixth  Avenue 
Elevated  one  day  recently  he  saw  the  girders,  and  was 
very  much  excited,  as  he  was  once  before,  when  I  told 
him  what  they  were.  He  told  me  that  he  used  to  think 
they  were  derricks.  I  asked  him  how  he  found  out  his 
mistake.  He  said,  "  I  think  you  told  me  girders  were  to 
hold  up  things.  I  know  it  by  this  time.  I  don't  know 
how  I  found  it  out."  Then  he  said,  "  See  how  the  train 
curves  slowly." 

A  BEDTIME  TALK 

"  Doesn't  w-o-l-d  spell  world  ?"  (He  was  thinking  of 
the  sentence,  "  God  so  loved  the  world,"  which  he  had 

199 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

learned  that  day  from  a  calendar,  in  his  usual  question- 
ing fashion  of  saying,  "  Mamma,  what  does  that  read  ?") 

I  said,  "  Isn't  there  a  sound  of  r  in  world  ?" 

H.  "  Oh  yes ;  w-o-r-l-d,  world ;  doesn't  w-o-r-d  spell 
word  ?" 

I  said,  "  Yes,  and  w-o-l-d  spells  wold  —  a  word  not 
used  very  often,  and  I  am  not  quite  certain  of  its  exact 
meaning." 

H.  "  Can't  you  tell  me  what  you  think  it  means  ?" 

"  Yes,  but  I  will  look  it  up  and  tell  you  to-morrow 
night.  See  how  easy  it  is  to  learn  a  word  every  day, 
and  soon  you  will  know  enough  words  to  read." 

H.  "  I  can  read  now  a  little.  I  can  tell  you  three 
ways  to  spell  too — t-w-o,  t-o-o,  and  t-o." 

I  said,  "  Can  you  tell  me  what  they  mean  ?" 

H.  "  I  don't  know — oh  yes,  t-w-o  means  one,  two, 
three.  I  don't  know  the  others." 

Then  I  said,  "  Well,  if  you  go  to  bed,  will  mamma  go 
toofP 

H.  " Oh,  too  means  that?" 

I  said,  "  Yes."  Harold  said  then,  "  Now  what  is  t-o  ?" 
I  said,  "To  bed?" 

H.  "  Oh,  is  that  it  ?  I  can  tell  you  something  with- 
out the  book." 

Then  he  repeated,  "  A,  B,  C  went  out  to  tea,  D,  E,  F 
didn't  feel  very  well,"  etc.,  to  the  end  of  the  nursery 
rhyme.  Then  he  said,  "  I  can  tell  you  something  else : 
'Here's  fun  —  a  little  fat  piggy-wig  trying  to  run.' 
Doesn't  t-i-c  spell  something  like  tick  ?"  I  said,  "  Yes, 
and  t-i-c-k  spells  it  also."  Then  he  said,  "  Is  t-i-c  tic  of 
tic-a-toc?"  I  said,  "Yes;  and  what  sound  makes  toe? 
What  sound  is  in  God  and  dog  ?"  (words  he  knew).  He 
said  "  wait "  (whispering  d-o-g,  t-o-c) ;  then  he  said 

200 


1896    CUTTINGS    AND    DRAWINGS— SIX    YEARS    OLD 

A.  cut  and  folding  work— a  kitchen  with  closet,  a,  and  stove,  b  ;  B,  door  and  hinges  ;  C— c,  c,  c,  c, 
parts  for  toy  theatre — a,  Devil's  cave  ;  b,  Satan  ;  c,  giant's  cave  (note  spelling);  d.  giant  holding  a 
club. 


OFTHF 

UKIVBBSITY 


SEVENTH    YEAR 


"now"  (as  if  he  had  it),  and  began  to  spell,  in  great 
delight,  "  t-i-c  tic,  a,  t-o-c  toe,"  three  times  over.  Then 
I  said,  "  Now,  dear,  go  to  sleep,  for  I  must  write  to  finish 
this  book  for  the  publisher."  He  said,  "Why?"  at  once. 
I  replied,  "It  must  be  finished  this  week."  He  said, 
"  Can't  he  write  it  himself  ?"  I  said,  "  No.  He  didn't 
know  how,  so  that  was  why  I  had  to  do  it."  "  Can't 
you  tell  him  how  ?"  I  said,  "  That  is  what  I  am  doing 
by  writing  it." 

H.  "What  is  it  about?" 

I  replied, "  About  how  to  fix  milk  for  babies  " — think- 
ing to  give  him  a  familiar  subject,  for  I  was  writing 
about  Pasteurization. 

H.  (expectantly).  "Mr.  "  (mentioning  the  pub- 
lisher) "  is  going  to  send  one  to  every  mamma  who  has 
a  sterilizer." 

I  said,  "  Yes ;  but  how  did  you  know  it?" 

H.  "  Why,  I  know  they  sell  sterilizers,  and  I  know 
babies'  milk  must  be  sterilized,  and  I  know  what  you 
are  writing  tells  how  to  fix  milk  for  babies,  and  it  is  for 

Mr. ,  so  I  think  it  must  be  the  directions."  (The 

last  word  he  said  in  tones  of  triumph.) 

I  said,  "  You  have  a  busy  little  head." 

H.  "  Yes,  and  I  told  you  this  morning  the  plate  was  a 
picture  of  a  baby's  stomach."  (He  saw  a  cut  of  one  in  a 
medical  book.) 

I  said,  "  Yes ;  go  to  sleep  now,  dear." 

H.  "  Couldn't  the  pipes "  (he  always  calls  intestines 
pipes)  "  go  straight,  instead  of  being  all  around  ?" 

I  said,  "  No ;  they  are  too  long." 

He  then  asked,  "  How  could  I  measure  yours  ?" 

I  said,  "  You  couldn't  unless  I  were  dead  and  you 
would  do  like  they  do  in  hospitals,  where  they  teach 

201 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

doctors  how  to  help  live  people,  by  learning  the  parts  of 
the  body  from  dead  bodies,  that  might  as  well  be  used 
as  go  to  dust."  (I  gave  the  suggestive  answer  for  the 
purpose  of  familiarizing  him  with  the  idea  of  the  impor- 
tance of  the  soul  and  the  indifference  to  be  felt  for  the 
lifeless  body,  to  which  he  has  been  carefully  trained, 
and  also  for  the  purpose  of  doing  away  with  any  idea 
of  cruelty  he  might  gain  in  the  future  from  indiscreet 
remarks  about  hospital-work  that  might  inadvertently 
reach  him.  Many  unnecessary  things  must  be  told  to 
a  child  to  prepare  him  for  what  he  will  inevitably  meet, 
or  he  will  be  unfitted  for  the  world  as  he  will  invari- 
ably find  it.) 

H.  "  Do  our  bodies  go  to  dust  ?" 

I  said,  "  Yes,  after  the  '  think ' "  (his  idea  of  soul)  "  has 
gone  to  God.  Don't  you  think  they  might  as  well  ?" 

H.  "Yes;  and  do  crabs  go  to  dust  too  when  they 
are  dead?"  (Probably  thinking  of  their  hard  shells, 
with  which  he  often  plays.) 

I  replied,  inadvertently, "  Yes — dust,  gas,  etc." 

H.  "  What  is  gas?" 

"  Something  that  you  can  smell."  (A  poor  answer, 
but  the  best  I  could  think  of  at  the  time.)  "  Everything 
goes  into  something  else.  God  made  the  world  so  when 
he  made  Adam  and  Eve  out  of  dust." 

H.  "Who's  that?" 

I  replied,  "  Adam  the  first  man  and  Eve  the  first 
woman.  God  made  them  out  of  dust — you  know  he  can 
do  anything  if  he  sees  fit — and  put  life  into  them.  God 
made  the  world  and  tried  to  keep  it  good." 

H.  "  How  can  the  dust  go  into  something  else  ?" 

I  replied,  "  By  being  the  earth,  to  help  wheat  grow  to 
be  made  into  flour  to  make  bread,  etc." 

202 


SEVENTH    YEAR 

H.  "And  then  bodies  can  be  made  over  into  other 
bodies  ?"  (Thinking  of  eating  to  make  tissue,  blood,  etc., 
in  which  he  has  always  been  greatly  interested.) 

I  then  said,  "  Good-night,  dear.  You  have  enough 
to  think  of  now  to  go  to  sleep  pleasantly,"  and  he  fell 
asleep  in  a  few  minutes.  If  indulged,  this  would  be  a 
daily,  or  rather  a  nightly,  occurrence,  or  whenever  the 
notion  seizes  him  to  begin  asking  questions,  and  it 
could  be  kept  up  for  hours  without  apparently  tiring 
the  little  fellow ;  but  effort,  as  a  rule,  is  made  to  keep  all 
suggestion  from  him  that  has  a  tendency  to  excite  his 
brain.  It  is  sufficiently  perplexing  to  answer  his  ordi- 
nary questions,  without  giving  him  more  food  for 
thought.  The  above  answers  were  more -than  usually 
suggestive,  because  he  was  wide-awake,  and  it  was  nec- 
essary to  tire  him  a  little  to  get  him  asleep  quietly. 
We  answer  his  questions  truthfully  but  restrainingly — 
to  keep  physical  poise. 

One  night  when  ready  for  bed  he  begged  for  a 
romp.  While  jumping  up  and  down  on  a  spring-bed  he 
began  banging  his  beloved  stuffed  kitty — something  very 
unusual,  for  he  has  always  treated  her  with  tenderness. 
I  couldn't  understand  his  action,  but  said  nothing ;  at 
last  I  heard  him  say  to  his  nurse  as  he  banged  her  again  : 

"  That's  Jesus  in  the  hard  times  of  1896  years  ago." 
Then  I  remembered  that  in  1895  he  had  been  told  a 
story,  during  my  absence,  about  Jesus  and  his  crucifix- 
ion, his  cruel  treatment,  and  other  unnecessary  details 
that  are  beyond  a  child's  comprehension  and  should 
never  be  told  to  them.  He  came  to  me  for  an  explana- 
tion of  the  cruelty,  and  it  took  a  long  time  for  me  to 
undo  the  impression  that  had  been  created.  I  did  it  at 
last  by  giving  him  a  loving  story  of  how  God  in  his 

203 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

goodness  sent  Jesus,  but  he  often  said  afterwards,  when 
reverting  to  the  story,  that  whenever  he  thought  of 
Jesus  it  made  him  "  so  sad." 

When  I  asked  him  what  he  was  doing  to  kitty,  he 
said,  "  Banging  kitty."  Then  I  said,  "  Poor  kitty !"  He 
replied,  "  Well,  wasn't  Jesus  banged  by  the  wicked  peo- 
ple ?"  Then  he  suddenly  changed  and  said,  "  Poor  kitty !" 
petted  and  kissed  her,  and  took  her  to  bed  with  him. 

One  day  he  said,  "  Won't  you  tell  me  that  story  that 
you  told  me  last  year,  about  some  one,  I  don't  know 
whether  it  begins  with  a  J  or  a  G  "  (meaning  Jesus), 
"  but  he  is  way  up  in  heaven,  you  know  ?"  He  has  al- 
ways shown  a  great  desire  for  any  story  about  God  or 
Jesus. 

Professor  Barnes  of  Leland  Stanford  University  di- 
rected attention  some  time  last  year  to  the  value  of 
records  of  different  children's  replies  to  the  same  set 
of  questions,  in  regard  to  what  certain  words  meant.  I 
selected  three  boys  of  very  different  temperament  and 
environment — playmates  of  Harold's — and  asked  each 
one,  also  Harold,  the  meaning  of  the  same  set  of  words, 
as  follows — I  did  it  in  such  a  way  that  none  of  them 
knew  what  was  being  done.  It  took  me  several  days 
to  divide  and  ask  the  questions,  in  order  not  to  arouse 
consciousness : 


A  boy  with  a  kind  step -mother.    He  was  a  little 
over  Harold's  age : 
Arm-chair — Wood. 
Hat — Some  are  cloth. 
Garden — Vegetables. 
Mamma — A  person. 

204 


1896    CUTTINGS — SIX   YEARS   OLD 

A,  a,  doll  and  dress  ;  B,  fairv  godmother  in  Cinderella  toy  theatre  ;  C,  calendar  made  to  slide 
up  and  down  to  show  dates  ;  D*  kindergarten  weaving— materials  made  and  colored  by  the  child  ; 
E,  design  by  folding  and  cutting. 


SEVENTH    YEAR 

Potatoes — Vegetables. 
Bottle— Glass. 
Flower — Something  pretty. 
Snail — Little  animal. 
Mouth — Something  to  chew  with. 
Lamp — Something  to  make  a  light. 
Earthworm — Something  to  dig  the  earth. 
Shoes — Something  to  wear  on  your  feet. 
Finger — Something  to  take  hold  of  things  with. 
Clock — Something  to  tell  time. 
House — Something  to  live  in. 
Wolf—  Something  to  eat  you  up. 
Omnibus — Something  to  take  your  rides  in. 
Piece  of  Sugar — Something  to  eat,  put  in  tea  or  coffee. 
Thread — Something  to  sew  with. 
Horse — Something  to  give  you  rides. 
Table — Something  to  eat  off. 
Bird — Something  to  sing. 
Dog — Something  to  bark. 
Carriage — Something  to  ride  in. 
Pencil — Something  to  write  with. 
Balloon — Something  to  sail  in  the  air. 
Village — Something  to  live  in. 
Box — Something  to  put  things  in. 
Handkerchief  —  Something  to  blow  your  nose  on. 


8    LIST 


Same  age  as  Harold,  but  a  very  nervous  child,  and 
subject  to  very  variable  training : 
Arm-chair — To  sit  in. 
Hat — To  wear  on  your  head. 
Garden — To  grow  things  in. 
Mamma — To  whip  the  naughty  boys. 

205 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

Potatoes — To  eat. 

Bottle — To  put  medicine,  water,  or  anything  in. 

Flower — It  looks  pretty. 

Snail — I  don't  know — oh  yes,  I  know  now — oh  no,  I 
don't ;  oh,  don't  I  forget  quick!  Oh,  I  got  it  again — to 
crawl  up  things.  I  got  that. 

Mouth — To  eat  with. 

Lamp — To  light. 

Earthworm — To  crawl. 

Shoes — To  wear.    My !  these  are  easy  lessons. 

Finger — To  touch  things  with. 

Clock— To  tell  time. 

House — So  people  can  live  in  it. 

Wolf— To  bite  people. 

Omnibus — To  get  a  ride  in. 

Piece  of  Sugar — To  make  milk  and  everything  sweet. 

Thread — To  sew. 

Horse— To  take  out  riding  with. 

Table — To  stand  things  on. 

Bird—To  fly. 

Dog— To  bark. 

Carriage — For  people  to  get  in. 

Pencil — To  write  with. 

Balloon — To  take  people  up  in  the  air  with. 

Village— So  people  can  live  in  it. 

Lamb — To  give  you  nice  wool  to  wear. 

Handkerchief— -To  wipe  your  nose  on. 

w 's  LIST 

A  year  younger  than  Harold— His  mother  is  dead : 
Arm-chair — To  sit  in. 
Hat — To  put  on. 
Garden — To  make  things  grow. 

206 


Jf< 


SEVENTH    YEAR 


~amma — / dorft  know. 

Potatoes — To  eat. 

Bottle — Put  things  in. 

Floiver—To  smell. 

Snail — To  look  at. 

Mouth — To  eat  out  of. 

Lamp — To  walk  along  with. 

Earthworm — To  look  at. 

Shoes— /To  put  on. 

Finger — To  get  a  hold  of  things. 

Clock— To  hear  of. 

House — To  live  in. 

Wolf— I  don't  know  what  that  is.    I've  heard  of  story 
ones,  but  I've  forgot. 

Omnibus — To  get  a  ride  in. 

Piece  of  Sugar — To  put  in  things. 

Thread — To  sew  with. 

Horse — To  pull  you  with. 

Table— -To  eat  off  of.     Didn't  I  tell  you  that  once  ? 
(Yes.)    Then  why  did  you  ask  again  ? 

Bird — Tell  it  was  nice — to  bite  you.    (He  had  an  idea 
that  a  bird  once  tried  to  bite  him.) 

Dog — To  look  at. 

Carriage — To  sit  in.     I  told  you  once. 

Pencil — To  write. 

Balloon — To  look  at. 

Village—To  look  at. 

Box— To  put  things  in. 

Handkerchief—To  wipe  your  nose  on. 

HAROLD'S  LIST 

Arm-chair — Something  to  sit  in,  chair  with  place  to 
put  your  arms  on. 

207 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

Hat— To  put  on  your  head. 

Garden— To  plant  things  in. 

Mamma — Somebody  to  take  care  of  you. 

Potatoes — Something  to  eat. 

bottle — Something  to  put  things  in. 

Flower — Something  to  look  pretty,  smell  nice,  and  to 
pick. 

Snail — To  dig  up  the  garden. 

Mouth — To  eat  with,  talk  with,  open  with  to  get 
things  in  to  eat. 

Lamp — Something  to  make  light. 

Earthworm — To  dig  up  the  earth,  to  make  holes,  to 
make  flowers  grow.  I  asked  "  How  ?"  He  said,  "  Keeps 
the  earth  soft  for  them  by  going  through  it." 

Shoes — To  wear.  "Why?  To  keep  your  feet  from 
treading  on  tacks  and  everything. 

Finger — Something  to  point  with — depends  on  which 
finger  it  is — to  help  pick  up  things. 

Clock — To  tell  you  what  time  it  is. 

House — To  live  in.  Why  ?  So  you  can  live.  Couldn't 
you  live  in  air?  You  have  houses  to  keep  you  from 
all  animals  and  things — to  live  in,  sleep  in,  eat  in. 

Wolf—  Something  tries  to  eat  you,  get  after  you ;  kills 
goats,  kills  people. 

Omnibus — Something  to  carry  you  in. 

Piece  of  Sugar — Something  to  eat,  to  put  in  your 
coffee.  Why  ?  To  make  it  taste  sweet. 

Thread — To  sew  with ;  to  make  cloth  with. 

Horse — To  pull  carriages  and  to  ride  in — to  pull  old 
wagons. 

Table — Something  to  eat  from,  to  lay  things  on. 

Bird— Something  that  lays  eggs  and  sings. 

Dog — Something  that  chases  cats,  barks,  chases  peo- 


EARLY    CUTTINGS — TOOLS 


1 


•d- 


VARIOUS  POSITIONS  OF  AN  ENGINE- 
BELL    RINGING 


SPONTANEOUS    WRITING    FROM    MEMORY 


WRITTEN'     SPONTANEOUSLY     FROM     MEMORY,  AFTER 
SIX    WEEKS'    STUDY    AND    PRACTICE 

Various  positions  of  an  engine-bell  ringing.     189(5  cuttings,  writing,  and  drawing  from 
memory.     A  sketch  of  "Tommy,"  which  was  drawn  in  1897. 


IS 


SEVENTH    YEAR 

pie  away  from  houses,  plays  with  you,  shakes  hands,  and 
whatever  you  train  him  to  do — does  lots  of  things. 

Carnage — Something  to  take  rides  in. 

Pencil— To  write. 

£alloon—To  sail  up  in  the  air. 

Village — A  little  place  to  live  in,  a  little  kind  of  a 
street  up  in  the  mountains. 

Box — Something  to  put  things  in. 

Handkerchief — Something  to  wipe  your  nose  with 
and  to  do  lots  of  things.  What?  To  keep  in  your 
pocket,  and  I  don't  know  all  of  them. 

"  The  Haunted  Castle "  is  a  fairy  story  that  he  told 
me,  so  that  little  children  could,  as  he  said,  understand  it. 
He  was  six  years  old  at  the  time.  He  selected  the  title, 
printed  it,  began  to  write,  then  said  to  me,  "  You  write 
the  rest."  He  sat  before  me  and  told  the  story  as  fast 
as  I  could  write  it.  It  was  just  before  his  bedtime, 
when  his  brain  seems  always  to  be  unusually  active — 
an  inherited  characteristic  that  can  be  readily  traced. 
His  idea  in  trying  to  tell  fairy  stories  is  always  to  tell 
the  stories  he  has  heard  in  more  simple  language  for  his 
playmates, remembering  how  I  must  "read  them  down" 
to  him.  He  would  beg  me  to  "  say  the  meaning  quick- 
ly "  as  I  read  along,  so  as  not  to  interrupt  his  enjoy- 
ment of  listening  to  an  unbroken  story. 


THE  HAUNTED  CASTLE 
PART    I 

Once  there  was  a  king  who  had  but  one  daughter, 
and  there  was  a  castle  which  ghosts  lived  in,  and  the 
o  209 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

king  offered  his  only  daughter  in  marriage  to  whoever 
would  stay  in  the  castle  three  nights ;  and  there  was  a 
house  in  the  forest,  and  there  was  a  youth  there  that 
wished  very  much  to  learn  what  it  was  to  be  afraid. 
One  day  he  was  walking  along  the  street,  saying,  "  Oh, 
how  I  wish  I  knew  what  it  was  to  be  afraid !"  And  a 
wagoner  came  by,  and  he  heard  the  boy  saying  to  him- 
self, "  How  I  wish  I  knew  what  it  was  to  be  afraid !" 
So  the  wagoner  (I  suppose  they  might  not  know  what  a 
wagoner  is,  but  they  will  ask  their  mamma,  and  she  will 
tell  them  it  is  a  man  who  drives  a  wagon — isn't  that 
what  it  is  ?)  said  to  him,  "  Do  you  wish  to  learn  to  be 
afraid?"  And  he  said,  "If  you  want  to  learn  to  be 
afraid,  come  with  me."  So  he  took  him  and  led  him  to  a 
gallows,  and  said, "  Stay  here  till  midnight,  and  you'll  soon 
learn  to  be  afraid.  The  rope-maker  has  married  seven 
men ;  sit  under  this  tree  till  midnight,  and  watch  under 
it.  You  will  soon  learn  to  be  afraid."  So  the  boy  said, 
"  You  come  to  me  early  to-morrow  morning,"  and  said, 
"  You  will  get  a  fine  cow  that  gives  golden  milk  and 
golden  butter,"  and  then  the  wagoner  left  the  boy.  And 
then  he  sat  down  under  the  tree  and  waited  till  midnight, 
and  he  saw  just  at  midnight  six  black  dogs  come  running 
around  the  tree  barking,  and  then  each  dog  settled  around 
him  and  could  speak  our  talk.  So  then  they  had  a  good 
talk  with  him,  and  then  there  came  afterwards  two  ugly 
black  men  with  dirty  eyes  and  crooked  toes  as  crooked 
as  a  spring,  and  their  ears  went  like  cat's  ears,  and  they 
had  tails  with  points  on  them,  and  the  seven  black  dogs 
jumped  up  at  them ;  one  pulled  out  its  tail,  one  pulled  out 
its  eyes,  and  one  (how  many  black  dogs  did  I  say  ?) 
pulled  out  his  teeth,  and  one  his  tongue,  and  the  other 
took  care  of  the  boy.  In  the  morning  the  man  came  to 

210 


SEVENTH    YEAR 

the  boy  and  said,  "  Now  I  hope  you  have  learned  what 
it  is  to  be  afraid."  The  boy  said  nothing  came  but 
seven  black  dogs  that  could  talk,  and  two  men  with 
pointed  tails,  cat's  ears,  and  curly  toes.  So  the  man 
went  off  and  didn't  get  the  cow  after  all.  So  he  went 
to  a  tower,  and  the  landlord  heard  him  say,  "  Oh,  how 
I  wish  I  knew  what  it  was  to  be  afraid !"  and  he  said, 
"  Go  to  the  castle  two  blocks  away,  and  there  you  will 
soon  learn  to  be  afraid."  So  he  went  to  the  king  and 
said,  "  I  will  sleep  in  the  castle  for  three  nights,"  and 
the  king  said,  "  You  may  ask  for  three  things  without 
life  to  take  with  you."  He  said,  "  All  I  want  is  a  turn- 
ing-lathe, a  fire,  and  knife."  So  the  king  had  these 
articles  taken  in  at  the  day,  so  the  youth  went  right  in 
and  slept  in  the  castle.  Just  as  the  clock  struck  twelve 
he  saw  the  devil,  or  Satan,  coming  in  with  a  pitchfork 
in  his  hand,  and  the  boy  had  a  shield  on  or  a  armor. 
So  when  Satan  went  to  hit  him  with  the  pitchfork  it 
didn't  hurt  him.  So  he  began  to  throw  fire  at  the  boy, 
and  the  iron  only  sent  it  back  into  his  own  face,  which 
made  him  very  angry,  and  he  said,  "  Be  off  with  you, 
boy !"  And  then  the  cock  crowed  and  Satan  vanished 
from  his  eyes.  (Do  you  think  they  know  what  vanished 
is?  It  means  disappeared.)  Aren't  you  writing  more 
than  I  say  ? — you  write  so  long.  He  asked  this  when  I 
put  in  his  interpolations.  And  then  the  king  came  and 
found  him  sitting  on  the  floor  by  his  fire.  So  then  the 
boy  went  to  go  away,  and  then  the  next  night  he  came 
and  sat  down  again  by  his  old  fire,  and  just  as  the 
clock  struck  twelve  he  heard  a  rumbling,  crumbling, 
squeaking  noise  in  the  corner  of  his  room,  and  he  saw 
a  black  cat  coming  with  a  little  yellow  dwarf  on  its 
back,  and  the  yellow  dwarf  said,  "  I  will  do  you  no 

211 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

harm,  but  come  every  evening  at  ten  o'clock  while  you 
are  here,  and  keep  everything  away."  And  then  he  rode 
around  the  room  six  times  on  his  black  cat  and  then 
vanished.  But  the  little  yellow  dwarf  was  telling 
stories.  He  wasn't  coming  every  night.  So  then  he 
fell  asleep  on  the  floor,  and  then  the  king  came,  and 
then  he  went  away  and  came  back  to  his  old  lire  once 
more,  and  then  seven  little  men  came  tumbling  down 
the  chimney  with  leg-bones  in  their  hands  and  skulls 
for  balls.  They  stood  the  leg-bones  up  for  tenpins,  and 
began  to  play  tenpins.  And  then  the  boy  said,  "  Can  I 
play  with  you?"  and  he  said,  "Yes,  if  you've  got  any 
money."  And  he  said,  "  I've  got  money  enough,  but 
your  balls  are  not  round  enough."  So  he  took  the  skulls 
and  put  them  in  his  turning-lathe  until  they  were  quite 
round,  and  "Now,"  he  said,  "they  will  roll  better." 
Then  he  began  to  play  with  the  funny  little  men ;  so 
then  the  cock  crew  and  they  all  vanished  from  his  eyes. 
Then  the  king  came  for  the  last  time  and  said,  "  I  hope 
you  have  learned  what  it  is  to  be  afraid  now,"  and  he 
said,  "  I  haven't  learned  such  a  thing."  Then  the  king 
said,  "  Everybody  that  has  come  here  has  been  killed  by 
the  ghosts,  and  you  have  lived,  and  you  shall  have  my 
daughter  in  marriage."  So  he  was  not  quite  happy, 
because  he  did  not  know  what  it  was  to  be  afraid.  So 
her  chambermaid  said,  "  I  will  help  you  out  in  this  mat- 
ter if  you  give  me  a  cup."  So  she  went  to  the  brook 
and  filled  the  cup  with  water  with  little  minnows  in  it 
(first  he  said  gudgeon),  and  then  she  brought  the  cup  up 
to  the  house  and  gave  it  to  the  king's  daughter  and  said, 
"  To-night  when  he  is  in  bed  you  must  throw  this  over 
him."  So  that  night  when  the  youth  was  sleeping  she 
threw  the  water  over  him,  and  the  little  gudgeon  wig- 

212 


1896   CUTTINGS   AND   DRAWINGS 

A.  out  work— circus  amphithentre  and  box-office  ;  B — b,  b,  b,  pussy's  soldier  set  ;  C,  light-house  ; 
D,  eight  different  kinds  of  Ivits.  with  prices,  for  playing  store  ;  E,  mental  pictures  of  kindergarten 
models  ;  F,  f.  large  and  small  umbrella,  half  closed  ;  G,  toad  stool  ;  H,  house  with  screen  doors  ; 
I,  calendar  ;  J,  compass  ;  K — k,  k,  k,  parts  of  figure  2  for  kinetoscope. 


SEVENTH    YEAR 

gled  about.  He  awoke  and  said, "  Oh,  how  I  am  afraid ! 
Oh,  how  I  am.  afraid !"  And  then  they  lived  happily 
all  the  time  afterwards. 

The  following  story  he  told  me  at  bedtime,  without 
effort,  as  rapidly  as  it  could  be  written,  when  he  was 
six  years  and  a  half  old.  It  is  entirely  original  : 


THE  SAILOR  AND  HIS  MONKEY 

There  was  once  upon  a  time  a  sailor  who  was  work- 
ing on  a  ship,  and  he  had  a  monkey  that  did  all  sorts  of 
tricks.  The  monkey  would  stand  on  its  head  and  turn 
a  somersault  and  dance  so  high  that  you  wouldn't  know 
what  he  was  doing.  The  monkey's  name  was  Tommy, 
and  the  sailor  was  very  fond  of  this  funny,  mischievous 
monkey. 

This  was  a  very  large  ship,  and  they  had  an  organ  in 
the  dining-room,  and  the  monkey  was  tied  to  the  organ. 
At  every  meal  the  sailor  would  come  in  with  his  mon- 
key, put  a  little  cushion  on  the  floor,  and  put  the  little 
monkey's  clothes  on.  The  clothes  for  the  monkey  were 
two  little  black  shoes,  a  little  hat,  and  a  little  coat  with 
two  little  pockets  in  it ;  and  so  the  sailor  would  tie  his 
monkey  to  the  organ  and  begin  to  play.  The  monkey 
would  run  over  to  the  little  cushion  and  begin  to  dance 
all  around  the  little  cushion.  It  would  dance,  and  in 
the  middle  of  every  tune  that  he  played  on  the  organ 
the  monkey  would  turn  a  somersault,  and  at  the  end  of 
every  tune  the  monkey  would  take  off  his  little  hat,  and 
then  when  everybody  had  finished  their  meals  the  sailor 
would  stop  playing  on  the  organ.  The  monkey  would 
get  off  of  the  cushion,  take  it  up  in  its  mouth,  and  bring 

213 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

it  over  to  the  sailor,  and  the  sailor  would  unfasten  the 
monkey  from  the  organ,  and  then  the  monkey  would 
jump  up  on  the  sailor's  shoulder,  and  he  would  go  out 
of  the  dining-room  of  the  ship.  One  day  when  the 
sailor  had  finished  playing  on  his  organ  they  heard  a 
loud  noise — bang !  (he  told  me  to  "  use  "  an  exclamation 
mark) — right  under  the  ship,  and  what  do  you  suppose 
happened? — the  ship  shook  like  everything.  So  the  sail- 
or and  his  monkey  heard  another  noise — bang!  so  they 
heard  that  same  noise  bang !  again,  three  more  times, 
and  at  the  last  time  the  ship  went  crang ! — right  over  on 
its  side.  So  the  sailor  got  a  tub,  put  his  monkey  in  it, 
and  got  in  himself — a  wash-tub.  So  he  took  two  brooms 
and  stuck  them  through  the  holes  in  the  handles  on  the 
wash-tub  and  began  using  the  brooms  like  oars,  and  the 
monkey  and  the  sailor  went  spinning  through  the  water; 
but  at  last  the  tub  tipped  over  and  they  went  ploom  !— 
right  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  said,  "  Oh, 
dear  me  1" 


CHAPTER  VIII 

EIGHTH  YEAR  — EFFORTS  AT  ARITHMETIC  —  "  A  STORY 
ALL  UPSIDEDOWN"  AND  "A  WONDERFUL  DREAM" 
TOLD  BY  THE  CHILD— MEMORY-WORK— CONCEPTION 
OF  FRACTIONS  — EIGHTH -YEAR  DEVELOPMENT  IN 
DRAWING  AND  DESIGNING 

APRIL  23,  1897.  —  He  said  to  his  mother  to-day: 
"Mamma,  I  am  like  a  little  tree  growing:  bad  boys 
pull  me  over  crooked,  and  you  straighten  me.  If  moth- 
ers didn't  do  this  the  boys  couldn't  grow  straight  when 
they  get  older,  but  would  be  crooked."  He  asked  me 
repeatedly  last  night  what  I 
wanted,  so  he  might  pray  ,  v 

for  it  for  me.    When  I  told          4 
him  I  intended  going  to  sleep 
when  he  did,  he  said,  "  Oh, 
won't  that  be  lovely !"  f  ,< , 

April  24th.  — To-day  he         SLr 

A   2.     •?  *i*  . 

wanted  to  know  what  adding      ^rr^T^TT         /3tj  ' 
meant.    I  wrote  some  num- 
bers  (as  shown  in  the  accom-       '  * 
panying  illustrations,  a  and  5) 
and  explained  to  him  how  to  A  LESSON  m  ADDITION- 

carry  1,  by  placing  a  figure  1  over  the  next  column  to 
the  left  when  he  had  counted  beyond  10,  and  put  down 
the  remaining  number  underneath  the  column  he  had 
just  added.  He  needed  but  one  telling,  and  the  figures 

215 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

underneath  with  the  1's  are  his  own.    The  illustration 
marked  5  is  his  own  altogether. 

July  21st. — The  illustration  c  is  one  of  his  efforts  to 
understand  the  principle  underlying  addition,  subtrac- 


tion,  multiplication,  and  division,  after  I  had  explained 
to  him  with  the  aid  of  the  following  figures : 

234  468 

2&t  234 

468  addition.  234  subtraction. 

234 
2 

2)  468  multiplication. 

234  division. 

He  experimented  then  for  himself  for  a  long  time, 
using  his  own  numbers,  and  using  them  correctly,  as 
indicated : 


A  LESSON  AND  ITS  RESULT  :    EARLY  ATTEMPTS  AT 

SUBTRACTION,   DIVISION,    AND    MULTIPLICATION. 

216 


1897    DRAWINGS— SEVKN    YKAUS    OLD 

A,  a,  a.  gohelinks  ;  T?.  b,  copy,  with  pen.  from  printed  T  ;  C,  c,  line  work  from  memory  of  kinder- 
garten lessons  ;  I),  train  on  grade  :  E,  efforts  at  drawing  a  glass— the  one  not  numbered  was  his 
copy  ;  K.  engine  and  coupler — a,  b  ;  G,  plan  for  a  school— D  R,  dining  room  ;  p  o,  playground  ; 
x  x,  theatre  for  amateur  work  ;  B  to  B.  bedrooms;  H,  plan  for  a  comfortable  Pullman  car  which 
he  proposes  to  build  when  he  is  big — he  still  uses  inverted  letters  ;  I,  mechanical  work — plans  for 
a  locomotive  he  was  trying  to  make. 


EEo® 


1897   DRAWINGS — SEVEN   YEARS    OLD 

A.  For  a  theatre.  Note  spelling  of  ''directions."  The  child  learned  all  his  spelling  from  observa- 
tion or  sound.  He  was  never  told  when  he  spelled  a  word  wrong,  but  if  he  asked  how  to  spell  a 
word,  he  was  told  correctly. 


OF  THB 

UNIVERSITY 


EIGHTH    YEAR 
I  heard  him  say  to  himself  the  other  day : 

"This  is  the  mighty  dragon, 

His  home  is  in  a  cave, 
And  still  he  does  not 
Know  how  to  behave." 

February  23d. — The  following  original  story  was  told 
very  rapidly  by  the  child,  when  seven,  to  his  mother,  just 
before  going  to  sleep.  He  called  it — 


A  STORY  ALL  UPSIDEDOWN 
CHAPTER   I 

Once  upon  a  time,  in  olden  days,  they  had  men  turned 
into  monkeys,  and  fishes  were  turned  into  dragons,  and 
elephants  were  turned  into  fishes,  and  people  walked  on 
the  sky.  All  the  rocks  and  stones  and  pebbles  were 
alive,  and  everything  was  turned  upsidedown  —  every- 
body walked  on  their  hands,  and  curtains  were  turned 
into  people's  coats;  so  there  was  a  boy  that  wasn't 
changed  into  anything. 

CHAPTER   II 

And  this  boy  will  tell  you  where  he  was.  He  was 
once  living  in  a  little  cottage  in  a  dark  woods  (wood — 
his  correction) ;  so  one  day  he  went  out  of  his  cottage, 
dressed  up  as  a  soldier,  and  locked  up  his  cottage;  so  he 
went  and  walked  and  walked  and  walked  until  he  came 
to  a  mountain,  and  he  saw  two  little  men  fighting ;  so  he 
went  up  to  them  and  said,"  What's  that  ring  lying  down 
there  ?"  So  they  said,  "  That  is  a  wishing-ring,  and  we 
are  fighting  to  get  it."  So  he  went  off  about  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  and  stuck  a  spear  into  the  ground,  and  then  went 

217 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

back  to  them  and  said,  a  Whoever  gets  that  spear  first 
shall  have  the  ring."  So  off  went  the  little  men  at  full 
tilt,  and  he  picked  up  the  ring  while  they  were  running, 
and  then  called  to  them  and  said,  "Now  neither  of  you 
have  got  the  ring ;  I  have  got  it  myself."  So  he  wished 
himself  up  at  the  top  of  the  mountain  he  had  come  to, 
because  he  could  not  climb  up  it ;  and  when  he  was  up 
at  the  top  of  the  mountain  he  saw  a  man  that  had  don- 
key's ears  and  a  cat's  tail,  and  crooked  toes,  as  crooked 
as  sprigs ;  and  so  the  funny  man  said  to  the  soldier  with 
the  wishing-ring,  "  Now  I  will  kill  you."  So  they  are 
fighting  yet,  I  suppose. 

The  following  was  told  by  Harold  without  a  pause, 
September  17,  1897,  when  seven  and  a  half  years  old : 


A  WONDERFUL  DREAM 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  little  girl  and  a  little 
boy  who  lived  all  alone  in  a  tree,  and  somebody  found 
them  and  took  them  home  to  his  house  and  gave  them 
a  little  room,  and  they  got  in  bed  and  went  to  sleep,  and 
at  night-time  the  man  came  in  and  looked  at  them  and 
said,  "  Those  children  look  as  if  they  were  going  to  sleep 
nicely."  And  they  went  asleep  so  coseyly  and  slept  so 
snug  and  warm  that  he  didn't  disturb  them.  And  one 
night  the  children  heard  him  saying  in  the  other  room, 
"If  you  are  not  out  of  this  house  by  to-morrow  morn- 
ing you  will  have  to  go  away  and  live  out  in  the  woods." 
And  they  didn't  hear  him  at  first,  and  so  they  got  up 
and  got  dressed  and  went  down-stairs  and  took  their 
fishing  hook  and  line,  and  went  out  to  fish.  They  found 

218 


• 


1897   DRAM' INGS 


A,  Washington  car  on  Fourteenth  Street;  B,  disappearing  cannon  ;  C,  curved  track  ;  D,  d,  original 
designs  of  truck  for  his  engine  ;  E.  jail  ;  F,  plan  for  first  floor  of  a  house. 


1897    DRAWINGS — SEVEN    YEARS    OLD 


A,  two  boys  on  sleds  going  to  the  opening  in  the  ground  leading  to  the  fairy's  home  under- 
neath ;  a,  chairs  ibr  the  king  and  queen  of  the  fairies  ;  B,  cut  work  for  toy  theatre. 


OF  TUB 

UNIVERSITY 


1897    AND    1898   DRAWINGS 

A.  tents  and  war  bo:its  ;  B,  American  flag  ;  C,  "Spain  getting  licked,"  the  child  said— a,  "  U.  S. 
.shells  hit";  b,  "Spain  shells  have  no  force  and  fall  to  c";  D,  memory  work  ;  E,  concept  of 
fraction  work  ;  F,  writing  from  memory  ;  G,  Disappearing  canuon  ;  H,  h,  giant  and  the  beanstalk. 


EIGHTH    YEAR 

some  clams  lying  along  the  side  on  the  sand  in  their 
shells,  and  they  found  a  nice  new  penknife  lying  in  the 
grass,  and  they  took  that  and  opened  the  clam-shell,  and 
put  a  piece  of  clam  on  their  fishing-hook;  they  threw 
the  line  in,  and  by-and-by  they  had  a  great  big  fish  on 
the  end  of  their  line,  and  they  pulled  and  pulled  and 
pulled  and  they  couldn't  get  it  up ;  but  at  last  they  got 
it  up,  and  then  it  was  only  a  little  bit  of  a  fish  about  as 
big  as  a  small  alarm-clock.  There  it  was  on  the  line,  and 
it  began  talking,  and  all  of  a  sudden  it  jumped  and  went 
back  into  the  water,  and  they  went  off  and  went  asleep 
near  a  tree,  and  when  they  awoke  they  saw  they  were 
close  by  a  deep  pit,  and  all  of  a  sudden  it  began  to  rain 
dirt  right  over  the  pit  until  the  pit  got  filled  up,  and 
then  they  saw  a  beautiful  fairy  with  a  long  train  on 
her  skirt,  and  a  thousand  little  brownies  were  lifting  it 
up  in  their  hands,  walking  along  behind  her,  a  foot  away 
from  each  other,  and  so  they  walked  after  the  pretty 
fairy  right  straight  up  to  the  little  girl  and  boy.  The 
boy's  name  was  Tommy,  and  the  little  girl's  name  was 
Jennie,  and  the  fairy  said,  u  Here's  a  ring,"  and  she  pulled 
two  pieces  of  grass  up  out  of  the  field  (wood),  and  tied 
it  together  and  touched  it  with  her  wand  and  said, 
"  Here's  a  ring,  Tommy,  and  here's  a  ring  for  you  too, 
Jennie ;"  and  she  said,  "  Just  turn  this  ring  around  on 
your  finger  for  what  you  want  and  you  will  have  it  im- 
mediately before  you."  And  so  Jennie  and  Tommy  said 
"  Thank  you  "  to  the  fairy,  and  they  wished  for  a  house 
and  things  to  eat  in  it,  and  they  got  it,  and  a  river  was 
in  front  of  the  house,  about  one-eighth  of  a  mile  away 
from  it,  and  a  little  dock-place,  with  a  naphtha-launch 
outside  tied  fast,  and  five  cans  of  naphtha  in  a  little  room 
in  the  clock,  and  they  got  in  this  little  naphtha-launch 

219 


A    STUDY    OF    A    CHILD 

and  went  sailing  up  and  down,  and  at  night  a  great  big 
castle  grew  up  out  of  a  hole,  and  the  naphtha-launch  and 
everything  burned  up,  and  the  little  girl  got  awake  and 
found  herself  in  bed,  and  it  was  only  a  dream. 

The  record  above  shows  clearly  how  the  child's  spon- 
taneously developed  ^/"-activity  is  enlarging  the  boun- 
daries of  his  knowledge  ;  and  the  more  he  acquires,  the 
greater  is  his  desire  for  study.  He  is  keen  to  observe, 
quick  to  comprehend,  and  has  an  excellent  memory, 
which,  with  his  indicated  self-control,  will  make  all  fut- 
ure work  easy.  He  shows  no  sign  of  physical  strain ; 
he  is  only  a  romping,  hearty,  obedient  boy,  and  full  of 
fun,  when  not  repressed  by  unsympathetic  surround- 
ings ;  and  instead  of  thinking  of  lessons  as  a  task,  he  is 
always  more  eager  to  learn  than  his  parents  are  willing 
to  have  him  taught.  His  mind  is  thus  rapidly  expand, 
ing  without  endangering  his  physical  equilibrium. 


THE    END 


AN   EXTRAOKDINAKY  TEST 


Miss  AIKEN'S  methods  for  cultivating  powers  of 
quick  perception,  attention,  and  memory  are  summed 
up  by  Dr.  G.  STANLEY  HALL,  President  of  Clark  Uni- 
versity, as  follows : 

"  "Wishing  to  test  the  exact  extent  to  which  attention 
and  memory  could  be  cultivated  in  children,  and  also 
in  older  students,  I  wrote  a  simple  story  containing 
one  hundred  items,  and  which  could  be  read  aloud  in 
three  minutes.  This  story  I  caused  to  be  read  by  a 
stranger  to  the  scholars  in  hundreds  of  schools — gram- 
mar and  high  schools,  college-preparatory  schools,  col- 
leges, and  universities — in  this  country  and  in  England. 
The  results  have  been  tested  by  psychological  experts, 
and  Miss  Aikerfs  school  stands  six  per  cent.  letter  than 
the  lest:' 


The  simple  methods  employed  by  Miss  Aiken  are  fully  de- 
scribed in  the  following  recent  publication,  which  has  already 
excited  much  interest  in  the  educational  world : 

METHODS  OF  MIND  -  TRAINING,  CONCENTRATED 
ATTENTION  AND  MEMORY.  By  CATHARINE  AIKEN. 
pp.  110.  Ten  Illustrations.  8vo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 


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